Alpine set to appoint Nielsen as F1 team manager

The Alpine Formula 1 team is set to announce that paddock veteran Steve Nielsen will become its new team manager.

Nielsen, 60, has worked in F1 since 1986 having initially started as a truck driver for a Formula 1 catering firm.

The Brit has held a number of roles with Lotus, Tyrrell, Honda and Arrows during his time in the championship.

However, he is best known for his work with the Benetton team, where he worked under Flavio Briatore.

Briatore, who now holds the title of executive advisor for the Alpine F1 division, is looking for a safe pair of hands following Oliver Oakes’ shock departure from the team in May after the Miami Grand Prix.

Oakes left the team in bizarre circumstances and at the same time as news broke that his brother, William, was charged with transferring criminal property. And while there was no suggestion Oliver Oakes had done anything wrong, he quit his role with the F1 team.

Briatore has duly turned to Nielsen, who held a similar role for Toro Rosso in 2013 and at Williams in 2014.

Nielsen then worked for F1 as sporting director in August 2017 and joined the FIA in January 2023.

However, he quit the governing body after only 11 months in the position and became the second high-profile departure from the organisation after Deborah Mayer also resigned from her position as head of the FIA’s commission for women.

Autosport understands that the hugely-respected Nielsen will be given the title of team manager, which is likely to take in the responsibility of a traditional F1 team principal and report into Briatore.

Autosport also understands that while talks are progressing between Briatore and Nielsen, the terms over his job title are yet to be agreed, which could cause complications with the FIA.

If Nielsen is indeed to act as team principal, even if he had the title of team manager, he would require to have a valid FIA licence. The situation could become complicated by his previous role with the FIA and his subsequent departure. The circumstances surrounding his exit remain unknown and came during a time of political instability within F1’s governing body.

Shortly after his exit, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem was the subjected of an whistleblower’s unproven accusation that he had interfered with the outcome of the 2023 Saudi Arabian GP.