Alpine F1 team hires road car specialist Woods for new COO role
Renault has appointed Audrey Vastroux as the new COO at its power unit base in Viry, as part of an ongoing restructuring following the departure of team principal Otmar Szafnauer. Meanwhile, Alpine vice-president of motorsports Bruno Famin has been confirmed as the permanent team principal. The new COOs will oversee their respective facilities, with Enstone currently undergoing an expansion project. Famin emphasized that the COO position is a back-office role and that Woods, with his experience at Lotus Cars and McLaren Automotive, is the right fit for the position. Woods previously worked at Lotus for 11 years and returned last year as manufacturing director, while Vastroux joined Renault in 2006 and has held various positions within the company. Famin believes that having dedicated COOs in Enstone and Viry will provide strong support and help in daily operations and process improvements.
