Luxury reinforcement for Franco Colapinto: Alpine added a former Mercedes team principal

While Franco Colapinto takes advantage of the break before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Alpine continues to move pieces in its structure with an eye on the future. The French team announced on Thursday the appointment of Mike Elliott as the new Chief Technical Officer, a decision aimed at strengthening the engineering area and giving greater momentum to the team's project in the Formula 1.

The 52-year-old Brit will be responsible for directing and overseeing Alpine's technical functions at the Enstone factory. It is also a return to a home he already knows: Elliott worked at Enstone between 2008 and 2012 as head of aerodynamics.

Throughout his 23 years in Formula 1, he also worked for Renault, Lotus, and McLaren, although his most notable period was at Mercedes, where he held various positions until becoming technical director. During his time with the German team, Elliott was part of a dominant era that featured Lewis Hamilton as one of its main protagonists. "He has an impeccable track record in this sport, having contributed to the achievement of 8 Constructors' Championships and 8 Drivers' Championships", stated the French team.

The new team member will oversee the entire technical and engineering area, where David Sanchez, the current executive technical director, is currently located, and he will report directly to Elliott in this new structure.

In its statement, Alpine also explained the objective behind the appointment. "Elliott's arrival at Enstone strengthens the team's technical capabilities, which seeks to consolidate its good performance on track and reduce the gap with the top four teams", it affirmed.

For Colapinto, Elliott's arrival means adding a highly experienced engineer in top-level structures to the project. The Argentine and Pierre Gasly have secured their seats for 2027, so the appointment fits into a planning that aims to continue developing the team and gradually reduce the gap with the leading teams.

When does Colapinto race again

After his brilliant performance on Spanish soil, the Argentine will now travel to Baku for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Because Sunday, September 27, is Memorial Day in that country, in memory of those who fell during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the action will be moved up 24 hours, the competition will start on Thursday, September 24, with the first free practices and will conclude on Saturday, September 26, with the main race.

In his previous appearances on the urban circuit of the capital of the Asian country, the native of Pilar had very different results. In 2024, when he was still part of Williams, he finished eighth, scoring his first points as a Formula 1 driver, while in 2025, already with Alpine, he finished in 19th place out of 20, largely marked by the poor performance of his car that year.