Engineer Bob Bell departs Alpine to join Aston Martin as Executive Director

Championship-winning engineer Bob Bell has joined Aston Martin as Executive Director – Technical after leaving his advisory role with Alpine.

Bell will report to Team Principal, Mike Krack, in a new role that adds strength to the senior leadership group within the Silverstone-based outfit. He will have overall responsibility for the Technical, Engineering and Performance functions across the team.

ANALYSIS: What the latest in a long line of senior leadership changes means for Alpine

The 65-year-old was notably Technical Director when Alpine – then Renault – won their last world titles with Fernando Alonso in 2005 and 2006. His move to Aston Martin sees him reunite with the Spaniard as the squad seek to transform themselves into future title challengers.

Bell has also held senior technical positions at McLaren and Mercedes during his career, and had been in an advisory role with Alpine since 2018.

"I have been impressed by the progress Aston Martin Aramco has made in recent years," said Bell. "The opportunity to play my part in that journey is incredibly exciting and I look forward to working with the great technical leaders at Silverstone.

"The scale and ambition of this project is highly motivating. I am a racer, and I see the hunger and determination powering this team. I look forward to playing my part with Mike and the rest of the team."

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Team boss Krack added: "I am delighted to welcome Bob Bell to Aston Martin Aramco. This is a key appointment to ensure we are optimising everything we do as a team and focusing on the right performance areas.

"Bob's track record in the sport speaks for itself and his experience will help us continue to make steps forward on the exciting journey we are on."

Bell’s exit is the latest in a string of high-profile departures seen at Alpine, with Technical Director Matt Harman and Head of Aerodynamics Dirk de Beer leaving earlier this week after a disappointing Bahrain Grand Prix in which Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly could only finish P17 and P18 respectively.

A subsequent technical re-shuffle was announced, with the team moving to a structure of having a trio of Technical Directors, with Joe Burnell as Technical Director (Engineering), David Wheater as Technical Director (Aerodynamics) and Ciaron Pilbeam as Technical Director (Performance).

Alpine also underwent significant changes in 2023, with Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer, Sporting Director Alan Permane, Chief Technical Officer Pat Fry and CEO Laurent Rossi all departing. Meanwhile Bruno Famin was confirmed as full-time Team Principal earlier this year.

READ MORE: Alpine technical leads Harman and De Beer depart team following ‘a period of disappointing results’ as re-shuffle announced