The announcement from the French team comes exactly one month after Sanchez departed from McLaren following a technical restructuring at the Woking-based Formula 1 team after a short period of time that began in January. He will join the team immediately.
Alpine is currently experiencing a dreadful season with an underpowered and overweight car known as the A524, following a tumultuous 2023 season that saw the firing of Otmar Szafnauer and Alan Permane, as well as Pat Fry’s departure to Williams.
Sanchez has previously worked in F1 with Renault and will now return to take on a “newly established position” in which he will oversee the technical department located at Enstone and will be responsible for the Performance, Engineering, and Aerodynamic areas of the team.
Alpine explained in their statement: “David will oversee the three crucial areas that fall under the recently announced three-pillared technical structure, with Ciaron Pilbeam (Technical Director – Performance), Joe Burnell (Technical Director – Engineering), and David Wheater (Technical Director – Aerodynamics) all reporting to him.”
Bruno Famin, the Team Principal and VP of Alpine Motorsports for the BWT Alpine F1 Team, expressed his delight at welcoming David back to Enstone, where he began his career in 2005. This appointment is crucial to ensuring that the team optimizes all aspects of their operations and focuses on the areas that will drive performance. It is evident that the car’s performance and development have not progressed at the desired pace in line with the team’s ambitions. We eagerly anticipate David’s arrival and are committed to working together to achieve ultimate success.
David Sanchez, the Executive Technical Director of the BWT Alpine F1 Team, expressed his enthusiasm for the challenge at Alpine. He is excited to return to Enstone, the place where he first entered the world of Formula 1. The team has always had a wealth of talented individuals involved, and there is clearly untapped potential. The task ahead of us is significant as we strive to improve on-track performance, but it is precisely this kind of challenge that motivates me. I am ready to begin and eagerly anticipate collaborating with the Enstone-Viry technical teams with the sole objective of restoring regular success to this esteemed team.