Alpine set to sign former FIA head of aerodynamics Jason Somerville
Alpine is on the verge of announcing a significant technical appointment, with the French constructor set to sign Jason Somerville following his departure from the FIA, RacingNews365 understands.
A Decorated Aerodynamics Career
Somerville spent the last four years at the FIA serving as its head of aerodynamics, a role that placed him at the very heart of Formula 1's regulatory and technical framework. Before that, he held an identical position at F1 itself, where he spent almost five years â meaning he has spent the better part of a decade embedded in the sport's technical governance structures.
His time on the commercial and regulatory side of the paddock was preceded by a lengthy stint at the sharp end of the pit lane. Somerville last worked directly for an F1 constructor in 2017, having spent nearly six years as head of aerodynamics at Williams. He arrived at the Grove-based team after earlier spells at Lotus and Toyota, building a career profile that spans some of the most technically diverse programmes in the modern era.
The Move to Alpine
May 14 marked Somerville's final day at the FIA â news he confirmed publicly via a post on his LinkedIn profile.
"Last day with the FIA today," he wrote. "Massive thanks to my FIA colleagues, our technical partners and representatives at FOM and the F1 teams who've made the last 4 years so fascinating, enjoyable and challenging! Next chapter starts tomorrow..."
RacingNews365 has learned that the "next chapter" in question is Alpine, where Somerville is expected to slot into a prominent role within the team's technical management structure. A formal announcement from the team is expected imminently â possibly as early as this week.
Alpine's Resurgence and the Timing of the Hire
The appointment lands at a telling moment for Alpine. The team endured a dismal 2025 campaign, but made the deliberate strategic decision to pivot focus early toward its 2026 car. That gamble appears to be paying dividends: after just four rounds of the new season, Alpine has already surpassed its entire 2025 points tally â a striking measure of how far the team has climbed up the competitive order.
With personnel reshuffles rippling across the paddock â as explored in our 2026 F1 driver market overview â Alpine's move to bring in an aerodynamicist of Somerville's standing signals genuine ambition at the technical level. Adding a figure with both deep regulatory knowledge and extensive frontline aerodynamics experience is precisely the kind of structural investment a team needs to consolidate a competitive resurgence and push further up the grid in the seasons ahead.
Simone Scanu
Heâs a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.