Former Mercedes Formula 1 design boss Mike Elliott has joined Alpine as chief technical officer. The 52-year-old will oversee the team’s technical and engineering operations at its Enstone factory, according to a statement. This move is part of Alpine’s efforts to regain competitiveness after a difficult 2025 season. Elliott previously worked with the team from 2008 to 2012, when it was known as Renault and later Lotus, and has spent over a decade at Mercedes, where he rose from head of aerodynamics to technical director and then chief technical officer. Alpine highlighted Elliott’s extensive experience in the sport, having played a role in winning eight constructors’ and eight drivers’ championships. His appointment is expected to boost the team’s technical capabilities as it seeks to close the gap with the top four teams. Elliott will be placed above David Sanchez, Alpine’s executive technical director, who joined the team in May 2024. The statement did not include comments from executive adviser Flavio Briatore or managing director Steve Nielsen, who plan to publicly address Elliott’s hiring at the next race, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on 24–26 September. Elliott began his Formula 1 career at McLaren in 2000 and left Mercedes in October 2023 under somewhat controversial circumstances. His design philosophy for the “ground-effect” era (2022–2025) was not successful. During this period, Elliott took over the role of technical director from James Allison, who later moved to a more senior position overseeing the broader company as chief technical officer. Mercedes pursued a “zero-pod” design, which reduced sidepods to nearly nothing as part of an aerodynamic strategy aiming to bring the car closer to the ground. This approach generated high levels of downforce in wind tunnel tests but caused a problem known as “porpoising,” a high-frequency bouncing motion caused by airflow stalling under the car’s floor. All teams faced this issue to some extent in early 2022, but Mercedes struggled more than most to resolve it. While Red Bull dominated the 2022 season using a different design with undercut sidepods to channel airflow, Mercedes remained committed to its approach in 2023, despite pressure from driver Lewis Hamilton to change strategies. When the 2023 car failed to keep up with the competition, Elliott swapped roles with Allison. Though the move was presented as Elliott’s own decision, he left Mercedes six months later, with the team stating it was his choice. This role at Alpine is Elliott’s first in Formula 1 since leaving Mercedes and marks his return to working with Briatore and Nielsen, who were both part of his earlier tenure with the team.