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Alpine has announced the departures of technical director Matt Harman and head of aerodynamics Dirk de Beer amid a restructuring of its technical department. Harman and de Beer have both chosen to …
Alpine recently announced the departures of their technical director Matt Harman and head of aerodynamics Dirk de Beer as part of a restructuring in their technical department. Both Harman and de Beer have decided to seek new challenges as Alpine struggles in the beginning of the 2024 season. Alpine had already finalized Harman’s departure before the pre-season test, indicating early signs of difficulties. The team will now implement a new organizational structure with responsibilities split across three roles: Joe Burnell as technical director (engineering), David Wheater as technical director (aerodynamics), and Ciaron Pilbeam as technical director (performance). Alpine’s team principal Bruno Famin expressed the need for these changes to improve performance levels and thanked Harman and de Beer for their efforts while wishing them success in their future endeavors. The decision for restructuring was made following disappointing results in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship as Alpine fell from fourth place in 2022 to sixth place in 2023, missing key targets on their journey toward the front of the grid. During the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, Alpine faced challenges with both cars qualifying on the back row and finishing ahead of only two cars that encountered reliability issues.
