Famin has “a lot to do” to rebuild Alpine

In brief

Famin has “a lot to do” to rebuild Alpine

Alpine team principal Bruno Famin says that he has “a lot to do” to make his team more competitive in the future.

Famin took over leadership of the team following the departure of Otmar Szafnauer last year and was named permanant team principal at the start of the season. He formerly worked as the executive director of Renault’s power unit division at Viry-Chatillon in France.

“[My] role is to restructure the team,” Famin said. “I was in Viry for the two last years, now I am in Enstone mainly and we need to really change the way we are working in order to develop better our car – to be more agile, to be more efficient.

“There’s a lot to do. We have started to make some changes in our technical organisation, as you have seen in the last weeks. And my role is putting everything together, changing what we need to change. Of course, to change the mindset of the guys, to have the motivation of all the staff, but also having a better process and a better organisation.”

Bird breaks hand in practice crash

McLaren Formula E driver Sam Bird is recovering from a broken hand following a crash in practice for yesterday’s Monaco Eprix.

Bird hit the tyre barrier in the runoff at Sainte Devote during the opening practice session. The low-speed impact caused his steering wheel to jolt violently – similar to the accident Daniel Ricciardo suffered in practice for last year’s Dutch Grand Prix – injuring his hand and forcing him out of the event while reserve Taylor Barnard raced in his place.

In a statement on social media, the team confirmed that Bird had suffered a broken hand in the accident.

“Unfortunately scans have confirmed that he has broken one of the bones in his left hand and will require further treatment,” the team said. “Sam’s injury will be treated further upon return home to the UK.”

First autonomous AI race held

The first ever race of the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League was held at the Yas Marina circuit yesterday.

Featuring eight teams running modified autonomous Super Formula SF23 cars, four teams qualified for the main race. After the race was suspended in the early laps after a single car spin at the end of the back…