In July of this year, Alpine F1 Team announced Steve Nielsen as Managing Director, in wake of Oil Oakes’ departure. Nielsen has taken charge of day-to-day management of the team, ultimately reporting to Flavio Briatore. The moderator asked Nielsen about his return to Enstone in a Singapore Grand Prix Press Conference.
Neilsen’s return to Enstone
Steve Nielsen is no stranger to the team headquarters at Enstone. The Brit has been a part of the teams operating out of Enstone on many occasions. Notably, he was part of the Benetton, Renault, and Lotus outfits—including his role as Sporting Director during 2005 and 2006.
Nielsen describes his return to Enstone as “going back to an old school”. He notes that while some pieces are familiar to him, many bits are also new. Nielsen also added that he has seen many familiar faces, mixed with some newer ones. Despite all this, the sport has changed greatly since his last stint with a team eight years ago.
Nielsen acknowledged that he is still getting up to speed with new changes, majorly, the budget cap. The budget caps were not a thing when he was last with a team, creating a bizarre experience. He noted that he was on the other side of the conversations while budget caps were being brought into the sport. Being on the receiving end has created an entirely new experience, with much learning to be done.
“It’s like going back to an old school. Have you ever done that? You go back to an old school and bits of it are really familiar but a bit smaller than you remember. Bits of it are new. It’s been great to go back. They’ve made me feel very welcome. Some old familiar faces, lots of new faces, which is also good.
“But whilst I’ve been in the sport for this time I haven’t been at a team for eight years. So there’s a big part of me getting up to speed and picking up on what’s changed inside a racing team in the last eight years—and there’s an awful lot.
“Things like budget cap didn’t exist the last time I was part of a team. Now it does. And it’s really bizarre for me because I was on the other side of that at F1 in the early discussions, and then that was taken forward, implemented, and enforced by the FIA. So to now be on the receiving end of it is a whole new experience for me. A lot to learn on my side as well.”
The moderator further asked Nielsen about the spirit of Enstone, and how alive it remains. He asserted that it absolutely is still alive, with Enstone being a great place. The Brit also noted the amount of “fine talent” he has seen at Enstone.
While the current on track performance by Alpine isn’t strong, he assures that this does not reflect the skills and facilities at Enstone. Regardless, he noted that this is now his job to turn it around.
“Absolutely. It is. Of course it it. It’s a great place. There’s some fine talent there. What we put on the track at the moment doesn’t reflect the skills we have there and the facilities we have there, and it’s our job to turn that around.”
What exactly is Nielsen’s role at Alpine?
While Alpine announced Nielsen to be Managing Director, questions remained on what exactly his role comprised of. Nielsen confirmed that overall, Briatore leads Alpine, although Nielsen deals with day-to-day operations. Despite the public’s opinions, the team at Enstone are clear on what everyone’s role is, and that is working well for them.
“Flavio is the leader. I run Enstone and everything that comes with that. That’s how we go forward, and we’re clear internally about what those responsibilities are and how that’s carved up. That’s how we’re doing it.”
Christian Horner’s potential at Alpine
Red Bull Racing recently released Christian Horner from his contract, following his Team Principal demotion. Nielsen was asked whether Horner had approached the team for a role. He stated: “As far as I know, no.”. He quickly continued on to explain that it is a known fact that Briatore and Horner are friends.
As a result of this, their conversations are not something Nielsen is aware of. As far as he is concerned, there is no plans to bring Horner into Alpine, although, he confirms this does not mean it will never happen.
“But Flavio and Christian are old friends, that’s no secret. What they’ve talked about, I don’t know. But everything I see and everything I know, there’s no truth in Christian coming to Alpine—but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen. This is Formula 1 after all.”
