LONDON (Reuters) – The Renault-owned Alpine Formula One team announced on Tuesday the departure of former racing director Davide Brivio at the end of the year amid speculation the Italian was heading back to MotoGP.
Brivio joined Alpine in 2021 after leaving then-MotoGP champions Suzuki where he had been team boss.
The 59-year-old had also previously been the team manager for the factory Yamaha outfit when MotoGP great Valentino Rossi was the star rider.
Media speculation has linked him to former champions Repsol Honda in MotoGP, with that team recently signing Rossi’s half-brother Luca Marini.
Brivio was most recently director of racing expansion projects at Alpine, including the young driver programme.
The team went through a major management change this year with the departures of team principal Otmar Szafnauer, CEO Laurent Rossi, sporting director Alan Permane and chief technical officer Pat Fry.
The Enstone-based team finished the season sixth after ending up fourth in 2022.
“It has been a proud chapter in my motorsport career to be involved in Formula One with Alpine,” Brivio said in a team statement.
“I am grateful to Alpine for accommodating my wish to pursue other opportunities which may (and I hope that they will) arise in the future.”
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Toby Davis)
