Renault replaced Laurent Rossi as chief executive of its Alpine sportscar brand, which competes in Formula 1, with a low-profile but experienced Philippe Krief taking over at the top as of today.
The Renault Group announced in a statement on Thursday, that Rossi would now focus on “special projects linked to the transformation of the Group.”
Krief was previously the Alpine brand’s vice-president of engineering and product performance. Graduate of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Techniques Avancées, he worked for Michelin and the Fiat Group.
After these experiences, Krief continued his career at Ferrari and then Maserati, as Vehicle Department Director and Technical Director of the Alfa Romeo brand respectively.
Back at Ferrari in June 2016, Philippe Krief became Director of Engineering. He was appointed VP of Engineering and Product Performance for the Alpine brand on 21 February 2023.
Au revoir from the F1 scene to Rossi
“Alpine is now ready to enter a new phase of its development and to become a brand of the future,” said Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo.
The French team had already announced changes this month to its leadership team, with Bruno Famin taking overall responsibility for all motorsport activities including the Formula One team and world endurance.
Otmar Szafnauer, the principal of the British-based Alpine Formula One team, reports to Famin who in turn had a direct report to Rossi.
Rossi had made headlines at the Alpine F1 team when he warned in May he would make changes before the end of the season if performances did not improve and said the buck stopped with Szafnauer.
Renault Group released the following statement today:
From 20 July 2023, Philippe Krief succeeds Laurent Rossi as CEO of the Alpine brand. He will continue to carry out his duties as Vice President of Engineering and Product Performance for the brand, pending the arrival of his successor.
As a member of the Renault Group Leadership Team, he reports to Luca de Meo, CEO of Renault Group.
Laurent Rossi will now focus on special projects linked to the transformation of the Group.
Luca de Meo, Renault Group CEO: “I would like to thank Laurent for his unwavering commitment over the last two years at the helm of Alpine. Laurent has set out a clear and ambitious strategy for the brand. He has put Alpine in the best possible position to achieve its long-term goals.
“Alpine is now ready to enter a new phase of its development and to become a brand of the future. Philippe combines a long industry experience, great technical knowledge with the leadership qualities that are key to the success of our project, including the launch of the brand’s new vehicles starting next year.
“I fully trust Philippe and his team to take Alpine to new heights,” concluded de Meo’s statement. (Reporting by Alan Baldwin; Additional Reporting by GP247))
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