Alpine F1 hires ex-Mercedes engineer and drops novel rear wing before Canada GP

Alpine announced the appointment of Joseph Grimer, a former Mercedes‑Benz engineer, as the new head of mechanical design for its 2026 A526 car. The move is part of a wider technical push led by team principal Flavio Briatore and technical director David Sánchez to lift the French squad back into the midfield‑upper tier.

After Franco Colapinto scored points in Miami – finishing seventh after a penalty to Charles Leclerc – Alpine decided to abandon a radical rear‑wing concept that had been tested in pre‑season and briefly used in Miami. The novel flap, which moved downward to reduce drag under the 2026 regulations, will be replaced by a conventional DRS system for the upcoming Canadian Grand Prix, meaning Colapinto will run the older specification at the Montreal circuit.