Former Mercedes design boss Mike Elliott joins Alpine

Former Mercedes Formula 1 design boss Mike Elliott has returned to Alpine as the team's new chief technical officer.

The 52-year-old will oversee Alpine's technical and engineering functions at its Enstone factory as the team attempts to build on improved performances and reduce the gap to Formula 1's leading teams.

Elliott will begin work next week, ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which takes place from 24-26 September.

His appointment represents a return to the team where he previously worked as principal aerodynamicist from 2008 to 2012, when the outfit competed under the Renault and Lotus names.

Elliott returns to Alpine after Mercedes spell

Elliott joined McLaren at the beginning of his Formula 1 career in 2000 before moving to the team now known as Alpine.

He subsequently spent more than a decade at Mercedes during the team's highly successful period with Lewis Hamilton.

At Mercedes, Elliott progressed from head of aerodynamics to technical director and eventually chief technical officer. Alpine said he contributed to eight constructors' championships and eight drivers' championships during his career.

His new position at Enstone places him above executive technical director David Sanchez, who joined Alpine in May 2024.

The team said Elliott's arrival would strengthen its technical capabilities as it seeks to build on its progress on track.

Alpine targeting a return to competitiveness

Elliott's appointment is the latest change aimed at helping Alpine recover after a difficult 2025 campaign in which the team slumped towards the back of the Formula 1 field.

The team believes its recent performances provide a foundation for improvement, with Elliott now tasked with overseeing the engineering operation at Enstone.

The appointment also reunites Elliott with Flavio Briatore and Steve Nielsen, who were both involved with the team during his first spell.

Briatore is Alpine's executive adviser and de facto team boss, while Nielsen is the team's managing director and effective team principal.

Neither Briatore nor Nielsen commented on Elliott's appointment in the announcement. They are expected to discuss the decision publicly at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Why Elliott left Mercedes

Elliott left Mercedes in October 2023 after the team's design philosophy for the ground-effect era produced disappointing results.

He had taken over as technical director from James Allison and led development of Mercedes' 2022 car, while Allison moved into the chief technical officer role overseeing the wider organisation.

Mercedes pursued an aerodynamic concept that became known for its extremely narrow "zero-pod" sidepods. The approach was designed around generating substantial downforce while running the car close to the ground.

The concept produced significant downforce in the wind tunnel but was vulnerable to porpoising, a phenomenon in which airflow beneath the floor stalls and causes the car to bounce at high frequency.

Mercedes struggled with its ground-effect concept

Porpoising affected teams across the grid when the new regulations were introduced in 2022, but Mercedes found the problem particularly difficult to overcome.

Red Bull adopted a different aerodynamic philosophy and dominated the 2022 season, using heavily undercut sidepods to help channel airflow and seal the floor.

Mercedes nevertheless retained its zero-pod concept into 2023, believing the design could eventually be made to work. Lewis Hamilton had called for a change in direction, but the team continued with the approach.

When the 2023 Mercedes car again failed to match the pace of Red Bull, Elliott and Allison swapped positions.

Mercedes presented the change as Elliott's decision, while his departure from the company several months later was also described by the team as his own decision.

First F1 role since leaving Mercedes

Elliott's move to Alpine represents his first Formula 1 position since leaving Mercedes in 2023.

His return to Enstone brings him back together with Briatore and Nielsen, both of whom were present during his previous period with the team.

Alpine will now look to Elliott's experience across two decades in Formula 1 as it continues its effort to strengthen its technical operation and move closer to the leading teams.

SportsLigue