Recent reports are pointing towards former Alpine Sporting Director Alan Permane joining AlphaTauri, who are going through a lot of changes ahead of the 2024 season. This is great news for Daniel Ricciardo in particular because they worked closely at Renault. Having a familiar face in a team that is already familiar to him would be exciting for the Aussie.
Permane has spent more than 30 years in the world of F1 and was predominantly involved with the Enstone-based outfit under its various names. Permane worked with the likes of Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso, playing a part in both of their championship-winning seasons.
After leaving Alpine in 2023, sources like Motorsport state that he is now set to join AlphaTauri, who are going through a rebranding themselves.
AlphaTauri is reportedly set to sign Alpine’s former Sporting Director Alan Permane for the rebranded team
[@Motorsport] pic.twitter.com/9GgIBaQy3v
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) January 15, 2024
Alan Permane was always a huge fan of Daniel Ricciardo. The latter left Red Bull in 2019 to join Renault, and he developed a close relationship with the Briton. Ricciardo, who is now gearing up for a season that will put him under a lot of pressure, has his old Renault cheerleader in Permane by his side.
Daniel Ricciardo a ‘top four’ driver in Alan Permane’s sight
During an episode of Beyond the Grid in 2020, Permane shed light on how highly he sees Daniel Ricciardo. He went as far as saying that there are just three other drivers at Ricciardo’s level in F1 – Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen, and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
When Ricciardo announced he was leaving Renault to join McLaren, Permane admitted he was very sad. A team like Renault was going to miss Ricciardo, who won two podiums with them in the 2020 season.
“Yeah, very sad, honestly,” he said on the Beyond the Grid Podcast. “There’s not many of them on the current grid and I am only speaking from what I see, the same as everyone else sees.”
I am so grateful for my time with @renaultf1team and the way I was accepted into the team. But we aren’t done and I can’t wait to get back on the grid this year. My next chapter isn’t here yet, so let’s finish this one strong. Merci pic.twitter.com/YFfzbwrgD7
— Daniel Ricciardo (@danielricciardo) May 14, 2020
Fernando Alonso, a two-time world champion with the Enstone-based team was going to replace Ricciardo. Still, Permane wasn’t happy. Even after the move became official, he went public and wished for Ricciardo to change his mind.
For Ricciardo to have someone who adores him so much back close to him again will surely boost his confidence, as he looks to shine with AlphaTauri in 2024.
