Alpine’s White departs Enstone after 20 years at team

Alpine operations director Rob White has left the team, ending a 20-year stint at the Enstone-based squad.

A team spokesperson confirmed to RaceFans that White has left his position, becoming the latest member of their technical team to leave Alpine in the last 12 months.

Formerly at Cosworth, White joined Renault in 2004 to help lead their V10 and then V8 engine development. Renault won back-to-back drivers and constructors’ world championships in 2005 and 2006 with Fernando Alonso, before the team underwent a series of ownership and identity changes, eventually becoming Renault’s factory team once more in 2016 and then rebranded as Alpine from the 2021 season.

In a statement to RaceFans, Alpine said White’s departure formed part of their ongoing operational restructuring.

“The team is thankful for Rob’s efforts during his long career both at Enstone and at Viry-Chatillon, where he led the championship-winning engine project in 2005 and 2006,” Alpine stated. “We wish him the best in his future endeavours.”

White’s departure is the latest personnel change for Alpine over a tumultuous 12 months which began with Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi being replaced last July. Team principal Otmar Szafnauer and long-serving sporting director Alan Permane departed in the summer break while chief technical officer Pat Fry left to join Williams. Alpine’s racing director Davide Brivio left the team at the end of the season to return to Moto GP.

Alpine announced at the start of the year that interim team principal Bruno Famin would assume the role of team principal permanently. The team then unveiled a heavily revised design for their A524 chassis at the beginning of the 2024 season.

However they began the season with a slower car than their rivals, and the departures of technical director Matt Harman and aerodynamics chief Dirk de Beer soon followed. Famin reorganised the technical team and hired David Sanchez from McLaren to head it up.

Alpine’s on-track performance has improved over the opening eight rounds of the championship, with Esteban Ocon scoring the team’s first point of the season in Miami with tenth place. Last weekend, Pierre Gasly secured his first top ten finish of the season in Monaco.

The team currently sit ninth in the constructors’ championship, equal on points with Williams, but lower due to Williams having the higher best finish with Alexander Albon’s ninth place in Monaco.

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