May 15, 2026 — Alpine has strengthened its technical leadership by appointing Jason Somerville as Deputy Technical Director at the Enstone operation.
Somerville re-joins the team on May 15, reporting to Executive Technical Director David Sanchez. His return brings extensive aerodynamics and regulations experience back to the factory as Alpine pushes to build on a much-improved start to the 2026 season.
Somerville first worked at the Enstone facility in 2010–2011 when the outfit competed as Renault. He began his Formula 1 career with Williams in 1999 and moved to Toyota in 2003, where he rose to Deputy Head of Aerodynamics. After his initial Enstone spell he returned to Williams to lead their aerodynamics department.
Later roles included a stint at Formula One Management, where he contributed to the development of the 2022 technical regulations, followed by an appointment at the FIA in 2022 as Head of Aerodynamics. That mix of team-side and regulatory experience is a key part of Alpine’s reasoning for the hire.
Somerville said he was excited to be back in a team environment, looking forward to “hunting milliseconds” and helping the engineers, designers and aerodynamicists at Enstone push performance forward. He specifically mentioned his enthusiasm to work alongside Alpine’s leadership, including Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore and Managing Director Steve Nielsen.
Sanchez welcomed Somerville, calling him a recruit of the right calibre to support the team’s progress. He highlighted the strong work already completed this season and said adding Somerville would help Alpine accelerate performance in the ongoing development race.
Alpine’s recruitment comes after a difficult 2025 campaign, when the team finished last in the Constructors’ Championship. Under the new regulations for 2026 the team has recorded a marked improvement, scoring 23 points in the opening four rounds and sitting fifth in the standings.
Somerville’s appointment is positioned by Alpine as part of a wider push to convert promising early-season form into consistent results as the season progresses. He will be based at Enstone and tasked with supporting the technical leadership in developing the car and maximizing on-track competitiveness.