Alpine announced the immediate appointment of Jason Somerville as deputy technical director. He will be based at the team’s Enstone facility and report directly to executive technical director David Sanchez. The move was agreed late last year following a six-month gardening leave after Somerville’s departure from the FIA.

Somerville returns to Enstone, where he worked in 2010–11, and will work alongside Alpine engineers, designers and aerodynamicists to strengthen the team’s aerodynamic leadership and accelerate performance in the current regulation cycle. The hire is part of a broader technical reshuffle intended to inject regulatory and aerodynamic expertise into the program.

His résumé includes spells at Williams, Toyota, Lotus and Formula One Management. He served as F1 head of aerodynamics from 2017 to 2022 and, at the FIA, helped develop the 2022 ground-effect rules and the current technical regulations, and he has played a central role since 2022 in shaping the 2026 rules. The appointment reunites Somerville with longtime Enstone figures such as Steve Nielsen and Flavio Briatore. Alpine finished bottom of the 2025 constructors’ standings and sits fifth in 2026 after four races with 23 points, scored by Pierre Gasly and rookie Franco Colapinto. Somerville said he was excited to return to “hunt milliseconds” and to push for points and trophies.

The FBI opened an investigation after a team-issued Cadillac Escalade belonging to Valtteri Bottas was stolen from the driveway of an Airbnb in Fort Lauderdale during the Miami Grand Prix weekend. The SUV contained Bottas’ Formula 1 paddock pass and a VIP parking pass, and local police asked federal authorities to get involved because the credentials could have allowed unauthorized access to restricted areas at Hard Rock Stadium. Agents investigated the potential security risk and access control vulnerabilities at the event.

Bottas told listeners on his What’s Next podcast that he had left the keys inside the house and discovered the Escalade missing on Saturday morning as he prepared to leave for the track. Cadillac supplied a replacement Escalade so he could get to the race. The original vehicle was later recovered damaged and dumped in a nearby high-crime area after its tracking system appeared to have been disabled, and extra security measures were posted at the property. Bottas said the thieves likely used the Escalade as a getaway car rather than targeting him specifically.

The incident created immediate logistical problems for Bottas and raised questions about credential security for drivers and teams during busy Grand Prix weekends. Bottas recounted the episode publicly on his podcast, authorities resolved the missing credentials, and the matter did not prevent him from continuing the race weekend; he finished the Miami Grand Prix in 18th place.

Audi driver Nico Hulkenberg defended F1’s new hybrid engine rules, saying, “If you don’t like it, you don’t have to watch,” and urging the sport to prioritize modernization and sustainability over nostalgia. The regulations shift power units to an almost 50/50 combustion-electric split and were designed to attract manufacturers and keep F1 relevant as the auto industry focuses on sustainability. Hulkenberg, 38, noted Audi has joined as a full works team this season and said the opening three races produced entertaining racing.

The rules have drawn complaints about heavier energy-management demands, qualifying that some say is less challenging, a perceived loss of the sport’s traditional sound, and large closing-speed differentials that could raise safety concerns. Organizers and the FIA introduced tweaks ahead of the Miami Grand Prix to reduce excessive battery management and address closing speeds, but reports differ on their effectiveness and some sources say the adjustments had only limited impact. Hulkenberg also pointed out that manufacturers’ priorities have shifted since the rules were signed off in 2022, which makes quick technical fixes harder.

F1 leadership and teams have signaled further recalibration for 2027, described variously as moving toward a roughly 60/40 combustion-to-electric balance or making hardware changes to bias the mix nearer 55/45 in favor of combustion. The sport has not ruled out longer-term changes, including discussion of a possible return to V8-style engines around 2030-31. Hulkenberg said he is a fan of the older V10 and V12 sound but questioned whether reverting to past engine formulas would keep F1 relevant, framing the debate as a choice between nostalgia and the need to adapt so the sport remains a viable business and entertainment product.