Alpine lures former Mercedes tech chief Mike Elliott back to Enstone as new CTO

Alpine has strengthened its technical leadership by appointing Mike Elliott as chief technical officer, the team announced on Thursday. The 52-year-old Briton, who previously served as technical director and CTO at Mercedes, will oversee all technical and engineering functions at the Enstone factory in a newly created position.

The appointment marks a return to familiar surroundings for Elliott, who began his career at the same base during its Renault and Lotus eras, working as principal aerodynamicist. He subsequently joined Mercedes as head of aerodynamics, playing a key role in the team’s preparation for the 2014 regulations, before rising to the position of technical director. He traded the CTO title with James Allison during his tenure at Brackley before departing in 2023.

“He has a proven track record in the sport, having contributed to an impressive eight constructors’ and eight drivers’ championships,” Alpine said in a statement. “Elliott’s arrival at Enstone strengthens the team’s technical capabilities as the team looks to build on the improved performances on track and close the gap to the top four teams.”

Current executive technical director David Sanchez is understood to now report into Elliott, who holds oversight of the entire technical operation.

The timing of the hire carries added significance. Alpine enters 2026 as a Mercedes customer team for the first time, and the squad has made an encouraging start to the new regulations cycle, competing with Racing Bulls for fifth place in the constructors’ championship. After a difficult 2025 campaign in which the team openly accepted short-term sacrifice in favour of longer-term development, the arrival of a figure with Elliott’s pedigree signals genuine ambition to close the gap to the midfield’s upper tier.