Alpine strengthens technical leadership with Jason Somerville as Deputy Technical Director
Alpine has taken another decisive step in reinforcing its technical structure with the appointment of Jason Somerville as Deputy Technical Director, a newly created role aimed at deepening the team’s aerodynamic expertise and sustaining its competitive resurgence in the 2026 season.
Somerville officially began his role on 15 May, reporting directly to Executive Technical Director David Sanchez.
For Somerville, the move marks a return to familiar ground. He previously worked at Enstone between 2010 and 2011 as a key member of the Aerodynamics Department, part of a career that has spanned some of Formula One’s most influential technical programmes.
His F1 journey began in 1999 with Williams before he joined Toyota Racing in 2003, rising to the position of Deputy Head of Aerodynamics. After his first Enstone spell, he returned to Williams in a senior leadership role, heading the team’s Aerodynamics Department.
Somerville later moved into the regulatory sphere, joining Formula One Management with responsibility for shaping the 2022 technical regulations, one of the most significant rule overhauls in modern F1. In 2022, he transitioned to the FIA as Head of Aerodynamics, overseeing multiple regulation cycles with the objective of improving the racing spectacle for fans worldwide.
His new role at Alpine is designed to strengthen the team’s pool of designers and aerodynamicists and support its continued upward trajectory. The team has opened the 2026 season strongly: after four Grands Prix, Alpine sits fifth in the Constructors’ Championship with 23 points, its highest tally at this stage of any season in the current era — and already surpassing its entire 2025 points total. The team views Somerville’s arrival as a key reinforcement as it continues to push development on both its current car and future concepts.
Somerville expressed clear enthusiasm about returning to the competitive heart of a Formula One team: “I am really excited to be returning to Enstone and working with Flavio, Steve, and David in this new role.
"I have been away from the competitive side of motorsport within a team environment for a few years now and I'm relishing the opportunity to be back in the thick of it, hunting milliseconds and fighting our rivals for points and hopefully silverware.
"I am looking forward to getting underway and joining the superb team of engineers, designers, and aerodynamicists at the factory and hopefully contributing to some of the team's success in the not too distant future.”
Executive Technical Director David Sanchez welcomed the appointment as a significant addition to Alpine’s technical strength: “We are thrilled to have someone of Jason's calibre and experience joining the team and to continue our sustained level of progress.
"The work the team has already done this season has been extraordinary, but we all know that is just the beginning of the job and not one team member is resting on their laurels.
"Adding Jason to our technical team will allow us to take even further steps to better our performance in the latest Formula One development race.”
Somerville’s arrival follows a series of key hires made last summer and reflects Alpine’s broader strategy under Flavio Briatore and Managing Director Steve Nielsen: retaining top talent, expanding technical leadership, and building a structure capable of sustained performance gains in the new era of Formula One.
