As if losing Esteban Ocon wasn’t enough, Alpine is going to lose its team leader too. On the very first day of the Belgian GP weekend, the French outfit announced some grave news about its future. Currently at the eighth (and third-last) spot on the Constructors’ Championship standings, Alpine needs its Team Principal now more than ever. But Bruno Famin, who took up the job as its interim boss, has announced he will leave his duty by the end of August.

With this sudden news, Bruno Famin has dealt a blow to Alpine. This has brought back some memories to the fans who watched the Enstone outfit get its first heartbreak when Famin’s predecessor Otmar Szafnauer announced his exit from the team in a similar fashion. And guess what? That had also happened during the Belgian GP weekend. Naturally, some speculations have come up that claim Alpine leaders and the Belgian GP has a bitter connection since they always choose to leave when the team visits Spa-Francorchamps!

Exactly 1 year ago, when the Belgian GP 2023 weekend had begun, Szafnauer announced he would leave his role as the Team Principal of Alpine. Given the suddenness of this development, Renault (the parent body of Alpine Racing) did not have a suitable person to hire for Otmar’s job. So, they got Bruno Famin to take over as the interim Team Principal for some time being. Famin was already a part of Renault at that time as he was leading their Viry-Chatillon engine division.

When Famin came to Formula 1, it wasn’t like he left his other responsibilities at Renault. He found himself serving as Alpine Motorsports’ Vice President as well as the leader of Renault’s Viry-Chatillon engine team. After juggling between his multiple jobs for a year, the 62-year-old has decided to cut down on one of his duties. But who is the most potential replacement for Famin at Alpine, now that the team needs a leader to step up right away?

Renault might summon an F2 team leader to take up Bruno Famin’s job

Bruno Famin’s mid-season exit from Alpine happened last week and some potential options for his replacement have already cropped up. Amongst them, there is one name that seems like a popular choice even though it comes from the Formula 2 world. Oliver Oakes, the former Red Bull junior, currently serves as the Team Principal of Hitech GP. And Oli is the frontrunner in the contest for Famin’s position.

As a former World Karting Champion, Oakes is familiar with the tough racing world even though his exposure to Formula 1 is questionable. However, the 36-year-old has successfully led Hitech after founding it in 2015. Apart from Oliver Oakes, Guenther Steiner also seems like a good choice for Alpine. The former Haas leader had left the F1 scene last year and left the reigns of his American team to Ayao Komatsu. If Steiner refuses to take up the lead of Alpine, the team might go for an ex-F1 racer like Sebastian Vettel too!

No matter what name Alpine goes for, it is a no-brainer that it must get a leader to replace Famin soon. At this point in the Championship, the 2024 title is not even in the grasp of the French team. But they can still improve their position to take up a top 3 spot next year. Whom you would select as Alpine’s new leader if you get to pick Bruno Famin’s successor? Comment below.