Latest news with #Permane
France 24
25-07-2025
- Automotive
- France 24
RB's Permane returns as team boss at Belgian GP two years after sacking
Appointed two weeks ago, in the wake of Laurent Mekies' departure to take charge of sister team Red Bull, following the dismissal of Christian Horner, Permane was congratulated by friends up and down the pitlane. He was happy too to reflect on his dramatic change of fortunes after being told by Alpine, in 2023, that the Belgian race was to be his last as their sporting director after a 34-year career with the Enstone-based outfit. "It's been quite a journey, that's for sure," he said. "Two years ago, here, it was a very sad day for me, but I'm just eternally grateful to the Red Bull family for what they've done for me." Permane, 58, had been a permanent part of the team and the paddock for decades, earning respect and admiration as he worked his way up from early experience as a mechanic with the Benetton test team. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff described him as a "a rock of F1" and someone "with a lot of knowledge". But as Alpine, the team that followed previous outfits Benetton, Renault and Lotus in running their operation from Enstone, lurched from one crisis towards another, he was dumped. Facing an uncertain future, he was delighted when his phone rang and it was friend and colleague Mekies at the other end, offering him a job as Racing Director at Racing Bulls. He accepted and now, with Mekies' promotion, has the Frenchman to thank again for recommending him as his successor. "I am so proud to be given this opportunity to lead this team," said Permane. "I am looking forward to it. It's been a busy two weeks, that's for sure, but it has been exciting. "For me, it's quite a change. I'm a trackside guy. I've spent my life at the race track. There you manage teams of 60 to 100 people, but now it's another step up... I'm looking forward to it." Ironically, he will now rub shoulders with other team bosses including Alpine's consultant executive Flavio Briatore who was one of the first to send congratulations, having been his boss at Enstone during their Benetton days.
Yahoo
24-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Alan Permane on leading Racing Bulls: 'Some shock, some pride' but 'relishing the challenge'
racing director and paddock veteran Alan Permane to fill the role as team principal, overseeing the Anglo-Italian squad's 700 staff across Milton Keynes in the UK and Faenza in Italy. From its Benetton guise through Renault, Lotus and Alpine, Permane was a stalwart at team Enstone as an engineer and sporting director, before leaving the team exactly two years ago. He was then snapped up by Racing Bulls in January 2024 as its new racing director, adding his three-decade experience to a squad commissioned by Red Bull to forge its own identity and vie for the top of the midfield. Alan Permane, Racing Director RB F1 Team, Laurent Mekies, Team Principal, RB F1 Team Having been involved in the series since 1989, 58-year-old Permane has seen it all, but becoming a team principal was not on his horizon and took him by surprise. "I had many reactions to the news, some shock, some pride," Permane told in an exclusive interview. "It's amazing that they feel I'm capable and have the potential to lead this team. I deeply thank the Red Bull Austria senior management, Oliver Mintzlaff and Helmut Marko, and, of course, Laurent for recommending me, pushing me forward, his belief in me as well. It's been a great week." 'The target is to be top of the midfield, and we are certainly in a battle for that and we'll continue that fight throughout this year.' Permane has had just two weeks to get his feet under his new desk before heading to this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, but he feels that the solid structure that Mekies and team CEO Peter Bayer have put in place, which has allowed the team to become a more competitive midfield force, means he doesn't need to reinvent the wheel either. "Well, the plan of action is to keep things as they are," he pointed out. "Laurent and Peter have done a fantastic job with this team over the last 18 months, leading to a surge in competitiveness. And my plan is to keep that running, keep the team on the same trajectory as it's been on. "It's a great team and I know that the senior Red Bull guys are extremely happy with the way the team is being run. They're very happy with our competitiveness. The target is to be top of the midfield, and we are certainly in a battle for that and we'll continue that fight throughout this year. "From my side, it's certainly going to mean some more travel. I'm predominantly based in Milton Keynes. In my previous role as racing director, I did spend some time in Italy, but it will no doubt mean I will split my time between the two sites. Probably a little bit more on the Faenza side, where that larger part of the team is." A serious challenge ahead Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls Team Permane feels his extensive experience as a sporting director has given him a solid background to slot into the top job, though he is not underestimating the challenge of going from leading a trackside team to sitting at the top of two factories housing over 700 staff. "I think sporting director gives you a decent grounding," he explained. "It's a much bigger role, of course. As a sporting director, you manage a group of 60 or 70 people. You sit on FIA committees. You work with the FIA, with stewards, with penalties and protests and things like that. So, you have a very good grounding and basis to take this job on, but it's of course a much bigger role. "There will be many things that are new, but I'm very ready to take it on and then I'm confident I'll do a good job." Racing Bulls will not appoint a direct replacement for the role of racing director for the time being. Instead, chief race engineer Mattia Spini will be taking on additional duties. "At the moment we won't fill it. We won't change things immediately," Permane explained. "Mattia will step up, and he's an excellent chief race engineer, and he's keen to do more, and he certainly has the capability to do more. Inevitably, I will be involved a bit more in that side of the business than Laurent was, certainly at the start, just making sure that that transition is as smooth as it can be. But I don't have any worries on that side. The track side team between Milton Keynes and Faenza is very strong." Paddock support In response to the news, Sauber chief Jonathan Wheatley posted a picture of him and Permane toasting with a glass of champagne in the Benetton garage as they celebrated their 1995 title success with Michael Schumacher. Permane and Wheatley became close friends during their time at the team, and in a stroke of serendipity they will now compete against each other as two of F1's 11 team principals. "We've grown up together," Permane said. "We both worked on Michael's car. In those days I was an electronics engineer, Jonathan was number two mechanic. And that's where our friendship started. We worked together for many years, Benetton, then Renault, and then of course he's moved on to Red Bull and now to Audi." Asked if he ever harboured any team boss ambitions like Wheatley, who left Red Bull to take the Sauber gig, he replied: "Honestly, no. I've been much more of a technical or a sporting guy. "But now it's happened, I'm relishing it. It's going to be a great challenge for me and I'm really looking forward to it." Read Also: 'Stroke of genius' set Racing Bulls up for season-best result at F1 Monaco GP Laurent Mekies handed Red Bull priority warning amid Max Verstappen exit rumours Laurent Mekies admits it feels "unreal" to see Red Bull F1 team without Christian Horner Who is Red Bull F1 team's new CEO Laurent Mekies? To read more articles visit our website.
