Bob Bell also leaves the Renault group, even though he was no longer directly involved in F1
It's a law of series. However, if this time the departure will have very little impact on the Alpine Formula 1 team, it remains nonetheless emblematic. Indeed, it is Bob Bell, former technical director of Renault, who is leaving the team, although he has been a consultant for Alpine Labs since 2018.
Note: Since the announcement of his departure from Alpine, Aston Martin has communicated about the recruitment of Bob Bell.
In less than a season, there is enough to make your head spin on the human resources side at Alpine. The Formula 1 team has parted ways with its team principal, Otmar Szafnauer, its technical director, Alan Permane, and also bid farewell to Laurent Rossi, CEO of Alpine, and its technical director, Pat Fry last summer. A few days ago, it was announced again the departure of the technical director: Matt Harmann (in office for less than 1 year) and Dirk de Beer (Chief Aerodynamicist). This time it’s Bob Bell, a well-known figure in the Formula 1 paddock, saying goodbye to the Renault group and therefore to Alpine.
Arriving in the paddock in 1982 with McLaren, notably designing the MP4/4 in 1988, Bob Bell had not been really involved in Formula 1 since 2018. He had taken on a consulting role at Renault and Alpine back then but was technical director of the team from 2016 to 2018. Before that, Bob Bell had experienced various roles since he started in 1997 at the same Enstone team, Benetton. He then worked for Jordan before returning to Renault and notably winning the two constructors’ titles in 2005 and 2006 as technical director.
In 2009 and 2010, he became team principal while Flavio Briatore was ousted due to the “crash gate” in Singapore, and then went to help Mercedes develop the W05. After a brief stint at Marussia, he returned to Enstone in 2016 before becoming a consultant in 2018.
If this departure is not directly related to the structural organization of the F1 team, it remains emblematic for the timing chosen for its announcement and especially for the experienced person that Bob Bell represents.
A consultant role since 2018
Since 2018, Bob Bell has been a consultant for the Renault group for Alpine in F1, but mainly and primarily for Alpine R&D Labs, which aims to use F1 technology in other applications, such as Aqualines, a flying boat above the water with the help of its foil-type wings.
Note: Since the announcement of his departure from Alpine, Aston Martin has communicated about the recruitment of Bob Bell.
