Alpine maintains Bruno Famin and recruits John Woods as Operations Director in Enstone

Alpine continues its restructuring. Since the departure of team principal Otmar Szafnauer during the summer of 2023, the French team has been building a new project. Bruno Famin, who was initially supposed to temporarily fill the position of team principal, has ultimately been retained. In order to further the restructuring of the team, the French have decided to create a new position of Chief Operating Officer (COO).

To ensure this job, the tricolor team has decided to appoint two individuals: John Woods, a former member of the Lotus and McLaren teams, will be based in Enstone, and Audrey Vastroux, a team member for 18 years, will be based in Viry.

The COO position really has a behind-the-scenes role, Bruno Famin revealed during the presentation of the 2024 racing car. We really need someone who understands how it works. Currently, he is with Lotus Cars, and he has been with McLaren Automotive for quite some time. He is a man of the factory, and that is exactly what we needed.

A backstage position

With this new appointment, Alpine is strengthening its workforce. John Woods’ arrival will not interfere with the technical director. In the team’s history, the Renault executives at the time created a similar position within its powertrain base. Audrey Vastroux was the one who benefited from it.

“We have a technical director, and he will not interfere with him,” certified the French engineer. “His role will be to provide the technical director and the sports director with the means to work, while following the budget and compliance. He is someone very pragmatic. He is not an F1 specialist, but it is not disturbing. It is a behind-the-scenes work, and he is very experienced, very pragmatic, and close to people. And for me, he is ready, he is not afraid to make changes, and he will have a fresh perspective on what we do.”

John Woods has been working in various automotive sectors since 2005. He spent 11 years at Lotus, where he was particularly responsible for manufacturing. For seven years, he also worked at McLaren Automotive as the head of new model launches. In 2023, John Woods returned to Lotus as the director of production.

Facilitating exchanges.

Within the existing workforce, Audrey Vastroux has been redirected to the same position of Operations Director. She joined the Renault group in 2006, progressing from being the head of the testing department to the Director of Testing and Operations.

“I really hope that these two COOs in Enstone and Viry will truly be a great support for everyone on site,” said Bruno Famin. “Having someone based 100% in Viry and someone 100% based in Enstone will certainly help us in our daily operations, but also in developing improvements in our processes. With 24 races per year, it’s difficult to be absent, so it’s good to have someone on site.”