Former Mercedes technical boss Mike Elliott has returned to Formula 1 after three years away, joining Alpine as chief technical officer.
Mike Elliott returned to Formula 1 on September 17, 2026, joining Alpine as its new chief technical officer after three years away from the paddock. The appointment adds the former Mercedes technical boss to the team’s senior leadership.
It is Alpine’s latest confirmed technical change in a difficult season. Pierre Gasly is 10th in the drivers’ standings with 41 points, while teammate Franco Colapinto sits 12th with 27.
Elliott takes Alpine’s top technical role
Elliott brings extensive Mercedes experience after holding senior engineering positions with the team before his departure. He will lead Alpine’s technical operation through the rest of its 2026 campaign and into preparations for 2027.
He spent three years away.
Alpine announced the move four days after the Spanish Grand Prix at the Madring, where Formula 1 completed round 14 on September 13. The appointment also came before the Azerbaijan race weekend, scheduled for September 24 through 26.
Elliott joins an organization headed by Flavio Briatore. Alpine did not confirm any further changes alongside his appointment, and the announcement included no additional staffing moves.
Alpine trails the leading teams
Gasly and Colapinto have combined for 68 points across the opening 14 Grands Prix. Gasly has scored 41, with Colapinto adding 27.
The gap to the front is substantial. Mercedes leads the constructors’ standings with 503 points, ahead of Ferrari on 358 and McLaren on 306. Mercedes has won 10 of the first 14 races, with eight victories for Kimi Antonelli and two for George Russell.
Antonelli won in China, Japan, Miami, Canada, Monaco, Belgium, Italy and Spain. Russell took the Australian Grand Prix on March 8 and the Austrian Grand Prix on June 28.
Alpine’s leadership change comes with Elliott’s former team at the top of both championship tables.
Mercedes knowledge arrives at Enstone
Elliott previously worked as Mercedes’ Formula 1 technical boss. Alpine has therefore secured a senior figure with direct experience inside the team leading the 2026 constructors’ championship.
Mercedes also holds first and second in the drivers’ standings. Antonelli leads on 292 points, with Russell second on 211. Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton is third with 191, followed by McLaren’s Lando Norris on 186 and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc on 167.
Russell trails his teammate by 81 points with nine rounds left in 2026. Max Verstappen is sixth on 145 points, while Oscar Piastri occupies seventh with 120.
Elliott’s appointment does not change Alpine’s immediate race results, but the team now has a confirmed technical leader for the final part of the season. His opening weeks will overlap with a stretch of street and temporary circuits starting in Baku.
A nine-race run starts in Azerbaijan
Round 15, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, runs from September 24 through 26. It opens a compressed sequence that sends Formula 1 to the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia from October 2 through 4, then Singapore from October 9 through 11.
The United States hosts the championship from October 23 through 25, followed by Mexico from October 30 through November 1. Brazil is next on November 6 through 8.
Las Vegas follows from November 19 through 21, then Qatar on November 27 through 29. Abu Dhabi closes the season from December 4 through 6.
Elliott will have nine race weekends left in the 2026 campaign. Alpine has not specified when he will start working trackside or set out technical targets for those events.
Alpine hire lands during 2027 preparations
Elliott’s appointment comes one day after the September 16 announcement of a 24-race Formula 1 calendar for 2027. The season will include 10 Sprint events, featuring Monaco’s first F1 Sprint, plus a February launch event in Milan.
Teams must handle the final nine rounds of 2026 while preparing for another 24-race championship. Elliott is now Alpine’s chief technical officer for that work.
His first scheduled Grand Prix weekend since returning to Formula 1 starts in Azerbaijan on September 24.
