Former Aston Martin staff principal Otmar Szafnauer has joined rivals Alpine as their new staff boss as a part of a wider restructuring of the French System One outfit’s administration, the Renault-owned producer mentioned on Thursday.

The Romanian-American, who left Aston Martin final month, will assume the function of staff principal, which was shared by Marcin Budkowski and Davide Brivio final yr.

Brivio, a former Suzuki MotoGP staff boss, will transfer right into a broader function, figuring out and growing expertise for Alpine’s younger driver academy and wider racing operations.

Budkowski left Alpine in January.

The Enstone-based staff, whose drivers are Spanish double world champion Fernando Alonso and Frenchman Esteban Ocon, additionally introduced the signing of Bruno Famin to steer their energy unit operations headquartered at Viry-Chatillon close to Paris.

Famin, most lately deputy secretary basic of sport at governing physique FIA, led Peugeot to a few consecutive Dakar Rally victories as head of its sporting division from 2016-2018 and a Le Mans 24 Hours triumph in 2009 as technical head of its endurance programme.

Alpine mentioned the administration modifications change a shared-responsibility construction on the prime with a extra streamlined method, which might “maximise its efficiency” in F1’s new guidelines period.

“With Otmar and Bruno becoming a member of the staff, we transfer to a brand new degree for 2022,” mentioned Alpine chief govt Laurent Rossi.

Szafnauer is a long-time System One insider, who beforehand labored with Honda earlier than shifting to the Vijay Mallya-owned Power India staff, which was purchased out of administration by billionaire Lawrence Stroll in 2018 and rebranded as Aston Martin final yr.

Media hypothesis had linked him with a transfer to Alpine way back to November final yr, with the staff’s signing of Austrian water know-how firm BWT as title companions earlier this week solely including to it.

BWT beforehand sponsored Aston Martin, with the partnership going again to the staff’s Racing Level and Power India days.

“My consideration is targeted on making ready for the beginning of the season in Bahrain,” mentioned Szafnauer.

“As one of many three automobile producers concerned in System One, Alpine is absolutely armed to attain its ambition, I am unable to wait to begin the journey.”

Alpine, winners with Ocon in Hungary final yr, completed the 2021 season fifth within the general standings.

The staff, who’re set to launch their 2022 automobile on Feb. 21 in Paris, beefed up their technical division earlier this month selling F1 veteran Pat Fry to the function of chief technical officer and Matt Harman, previously of Mercedes, to technical director.

The staff’s goal is to combat for the championship inside 100 races of the introduction of the game’s radical new guidelines this yr.