BWT Alpine Appoints Jason Somerville as Deputy Technical Director to Strengthen F1 Technical Leadership

Enstone, England, May 15, 2026: The BWT Alpine Formula One Team has announced the appointment of Jason Somerville as its new Deputy Technical Director, reinforcing the team’s technical leadership as it continues its resurgence in the 2026 Formula One season.

Somerville officially began his new role on May 15 and will report directly to David Sanchez. His appointment marks a return to Alpine’s Enstone base, where he previously worked within the aerodynamics department between 2010 and 2011.

The experienced Formula One engineer brings more than two decades of motorsport expertise to the French manufacturer-backed team. Somerville first entered Formula One with Williams Racing in 1999 before joining Toyota Racing in 2003, where he progressed to become Deputy Head of Aerodynamics.

After his earlier stint at Enstone, Somerville returned to Williams in a senior leadership role overseeing the team’s aerodynamics department. He later joined Formula One Management and contributed to the development of the sport’s major 2022 technical regulations overhaul aimed at improving racing competitiveness.

In 2022, Somerville moved to the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) as Head of Aerodynamics, where he supervised multiple regulatory cycles focused on enhancing on-track action for Formula One fans worldwide.

Alpine stated that the newly created Deputy Technical Director role is intended to further strengthen its pool of engineers, designers, and aerodynamic specialists as the team continues to build momentum in Formula One’s current regulations era.

The Enstone-based outfit has enjoyed a strong start to the 2026 Formula One season, currently sitting fifth in the Constructors’ Championship with 23 points after four Grands Prix. Alpine’s tally already exceeds the team’s total points haul from the entire 2025 campaign, highlighting the significant gains made over the winter.

The team believes Somerville’s aerodynamic expertise will help accelerate development on both the current car and future Formula One concepts as Alpine pushes to close the gap to the front-running teams.

The appointment also continues Alpine’s recent recruitment drive under the leadership of Flavio Briatore and Managing Director Steve Nielsen.

Speaking about his return, Somerville said he was excited to rejoin the competitive side of Formula One and contribute to Alpine’s ambitions.

“I am really excited to be returning to Enstone and working with Flavio, Steve, and David in this new role,” Somerville said. “I’m relishing the opportunity to be back in the thick of it, hunting milliseconds and fighting our rivals for points and hopefully silverware.”

Executive Technical Director David Sanchez welcomed the appointment, describing Somerville as a major addition to Alpine’s growing technical structure.

“We are thrilled to have someone of Jason’s calibre and experience joining the team and to continue our sustained level of progress,” Sanchez said. “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.”