According to sources, Alan Permane, the former sports director of Alpine, is being considered for a new position with the AlphaTauri squad that will be rebranded for the 2024 Formula 1 season.
Permane worked for the Enstone team for 34 years under several names, notably throughout the championship-winning seasons of Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso, before leaving Alpine in the middle of 2023.
Over the course of the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, he and team principal Otmar Szafnauer announced their departures, with Bruno Famin taking over as the team’s temporary manager.
When he became contractually available, Permane was likely to be a huge acquisition for any team because of his more than thirty years of experience in the paddock.
According to a recent report by Motorsport.com, the seasoned engineer is scheduled to make a comeback to Grand Prix racing with AlphaTauri, as the team starts a new chapter after Franz Tost’s resignation as team manager.
Following the announcement of Permane’s departure in the summer of last year, the heads of the Formula One teams immediately praised him and his background. Toto Wolff called him the “rock” of Formula One, while Christian Horner of Red Bull felt he had earned “respect and recognition”.
Laurent Mekies, a former FIA Head of Single Seaters, will take over as the team principal for the 2024 Faenza squad, with Peter Bayer serving as the team’s new CEO.
It is anticipated that the squad will also rebrand from AlphaTauri, however the new moniker has not yet been announced.