Alan Permane on leading Racing Bulls: 'Some shock, some pride' but 'relishing the challenge'
From its Benetton guise through Renault, Lotus and Alpine, Permane was a stalwart at team Enstone as an engineer and sporting director, before leaving the team exactly two years ago. He was then snapped up by Racing Bulls in January 2024 as its new racing director, adding his three-decade experience to a squad commissioned by Red Bull to forge its own identity and vie for the top of the midfield.
Alan Permane, Racing Director RB F1 Team, Laurent Mekies, Team Principal, RB F1 Team
Having been involved in the series since 1989, 58-year-old Permane has seen it all, but becoming a team principal was not on his horizon and took him by surprise.
"I had many reactions to the news, some shock, some pride," Permane told Motorsport.com in an exclusive interview. "It's amazing that they feel I'm capable and have the potential to lead this team. I deeply thank the Red Bull Austria senior management, Oliver Mintzlaff and Helmut Marko, and, of course, Laurent for recommending me, pushing me forward, his belief in me as well. It's been a great week."
'The target is to be top of the midfield, and we are certainly in a battle for that and we'll continue that fight throughout this year.'
Permane has had just two weeks to get his feet under his new desk before heading to this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, but he feels that the solid structure that Mekies and team CEO Peter Bayer have put in place, which has allowed the team to become a more competitive midfield force, means he doesn't need to reinvent the wheel either.
"Well, the plan of action is to keep things as they are," he pointed out. "Laurent and Peter have done a fantastic job with this team over the last 18 months, leading to a surge in competitiveness. And my plan is to keep that running, keep the team on the same trajectory as it's been on.
"It's a great team and I know that the senior Red Bull guys are extremely happy with the way the team is being run. They're very happy with our competitiveness. The target is to be top of the midfield, and we are certainly in a battle for that and we'll continue that fight throughout this year.
"From my side, it's certainly going to mean some more travel. I'm predominantly based in Milton Keynes. In my previous role as racing director, I did spend some time in Italy, but it will no doubt mean I will split my time between the two sites. Probably a little bit more on the Faenza side, where that larger part of the team is."
A serious challenge ahead
Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls Team
Permane feels his extensive experience as a sporting director has given him a solid background to slot into the top job, though he is not underestimating the challenge of going from leading a trackside team to sitting at the top of two factories housing over 700 staff.
"I think sporting director gives you a decent grounding," he explained. "It's a much bigger role, of course. As a sporting director, you manage a group of 60 or 70 people. You sit on FIA committees. You work with the FIA, with stewards, with penalties and protests and things like that. So, you have a very good grounding and basis to take this job on, but it's of course a much bigger role.
"There will be many things that are new, but I'm very ready to take it on and then I'm confident I'll do a good job."
Racing Bulls will not appoint a direct replacement for the role of racing director for the time being. Instead, chief race engineer Mattia Spini will be taking on additional duties. "At the moment we won't fill it. We won't change things immediately," Permane explained.
"Mattia will step up, and he's an excellent chief race engineer, and he's keen to do more, and he certainly has the capability to do more. Inevitably, I will be involved a bit more in that side of the business than Laurent was, certainly at the start, just making sure that that transition is as smooth as it can be. But I don't have any worries on that side. The track side team between Milton Keynes and Faenza is very strong."
Paddock support
In response to the news, Sauber chief Jonathan Wheatley posted a picture of him and Permane toasting with a glass of champagne in the Benetton garage as they celebrated their 1995 title success with Michael Schumacher. Permane and Wheatley became close friends during their time at the team, and in a stroke of serendipity they will now compete against each other as two of F1's 11 team principals.
"We've grown up together," Permane said. "We both worked on Michael's car. In those days I was an electronics engineer, Jonathan was number two mechanic. And that's where our friendship started. We worked together for many years, Benetton, then Renault, and then of course he's moved on to Red Bull and now to Audi."
Asked if he ever harboured any team boss ambitions like Wheatley, who left Red Bull to take the Sauber gig, he replied: "Honestly, no. I've been much more of a technical or a sporting guy.
"But now it's happened, I'm relishing it. It's going to be a great challenge for me and I'm really looking forward to it."
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New York Times
2 minutes ago
- New York Times
How Oscar Piastri's fearlessness won him the Belgian GP: ‘As brave as I dared'
SPA, Belgium — From second on the grid for the Belgian Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri knew he'd likely get one real shot at winning the race. A stunning lap for pole in sprint qualifying on Friday, arguably one of the best by anyone so far this season, had actually left Piastri exposed. Red Bull's Max Verstappen was able to use the long run exiting La Source, up Eau Rouge and Raidillon and along the Kemmel Straight to blast past Piastri, taking a lead he would never relinquish. Strangely, it had been better to start second than first. Advertisement Come Sunday's race, though, it was Piastri who had that 'advantage,' lining up behind teammate Lando Norris after losing out on Saturday afternoon. He'd get the same opportunity Verstappen did, albeit in damp conditions after a rain shower delayed the start by over an hour. That didn't deter Piastri from pulling off a brave, brilliant move to overtake Norris just as they left the crest of Raidillon, ducking out of his teammate's rooster tails and sweeping into the lead. Like Verstappen did one day earlier, Piastri didn't look back, going on to win the race. 'I knew it was going to be crucial,' Piastri said of the move in the post-race news conference. 'I had a good run out of Turn 1 and then tried to be as brave as I dared through Eau Rouge and was able to stay pretty close. 'After that, the slipstream did the rest for me. I knew that was going to be important to win the race today.' After back-to-back defeats to Norris at Spielberg and Silverstone, it was a big weekend for Piastri to break his title rival's momentum and stretch his points lead in the drivers' standings once again — it is now at 16 points. The move through Eau Rouge and Raidillon was a crucial showing that, for all the calm that he shows externally and is arguably his greatest strength, there is a killer instinct that lies beneath; an ability to seize such a moment when it really mattered. The suggestion from McLaren post-race was that Norris was compromised somewhat, admitting that he'd not had the cleanest exit out of Turn 1. Soon after being overtaken, Norris complained on the radio that he was struggling with his battery pack — an important boost with these hybrid power units — only to be informed that a lot of it had been used up on the restart. Andrea Stella, McLaren's team principal, told reporters after the race there was a 'slight anomaly' with the battery, but that it happened to both cars. 'Nothing that should have penalized Lando in particular compared to Oscar,' Stella said. 'We're still checking the data, but this is the initial feedback I received. Advertisement 'I think the overtake ultimately came because it's very difficult for the car that leads the pack to arrive first at corner five. It's not impossible, but it does require you to have a decent advantage as you cross the finish line, which was not the case for Lando at the restart.' Norris's case wasn't helped by a slightly scruffy exit from the Bus Stop chicane as the race returned to green after four laps behind the safety car, allowing Piastri to make a small gain. He then struggled with wheelspin exiting La Source — as the lead car, he was the first to encounter the damp conditions — while Piastri was able to firmly get on the throttle, setting up the chance to go for a move. Piastri knew he couldn't get too close to the rear of Norris's car as they went down the hill toward Eau Rouge and the start of the incline, necessitating a small lift on the throttle. But then it became about negotiating the left, uphill right and kink back left over the top of the hill without losing any of that momentum. A post shared by FORMULA 1® (@f1) 'The move through Eau Rouge, I knew it was going to be by far my best opportunity to try and win the race,' Piastri said, wryly smiling after The Athletic asked when he'd started plotting it. 'I'd been thinking about it for a while, put it that way. Obviously, in those conditions, it's a little bit more difficult than if it's dry. I knew that I had to try and do that.' The wet track meant any thought of taking Eau Rouge and Raidillon flat, as they would with ease in the dry, had to be put aside. It was a question of how little both drivers would be willing to lift, and what momentum they could carry. The data points to Norris actually backing off less than Piastri did through Eau Rouge, carrying a bit more speed and drifting more toward the left as a result. But as they crested Raidillon, Norris had to ease off the throttle slightly, dropping to 88 percent application; Piastri stayed flat out, helping him close up a little more. That gain, combined with the slipstream afforded to Piastri by sitting right behind his teammate's gearbox, was crucial to Piastri making the move and winning the race. As they emerged from Raidillon, Piastri was around 3-5 km/h faster than Norris, setting him up to easily sweep past. The majority of moves along the Kemmel Straight are carried out much closer to the braking zone at Les Combes. In this case, Piastri had to very quickly duck out from behind Norris to avoid touching him. He even had time to cover the inside, having been as much as 13 km/h faster on the straight. Advertisement An impressive move to the watch, and one that took real commitment in the cockpit. 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Associated Press
4 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Delayed start at Belgian Grand Prix highlights Formula 1's challenge with racing in the rain
Of all the thousands of pieces of equipment that Formula 1 hauls around the world, few are used less often than the full wet tire. They stayed piled up in stacks, not on the cars, on Sunday as drivers sat out a rain delay of more than an hour to the start of the Belgian Grand Prix. It wasn't because F1 cars lack grip in heavy rain. Manufacturer Pirelli says the full wet tires can cope with that. The problem is that drivers behind can't see through the spray, and the first attempt to start Sunday's race on time illustrated the problem. Even crawling around at formation lap pace with only Lando Norris and the safety car ahead, eventual winner Oscar Piastri said he 'couldn't see a thing,' adding, 'you can only imagine what it's like for the guys at the back.' When the race started, it was behind the safety car at low speed before the all-clear to go racing. Like all of the drivers, Piastri was using the intermediate tires, which are recommended for light rain or a drying track, when he eventually passed Norris for the win. 'The past few years, particularly here, we've given the (governing body) FIA feedback that we would much rather be on the safe side than risk anything,' Piastri said. 'If you were to be picky, maybe we could have done one less formation lap (behind the safety car), but in the grand scheme of things, if that's one lap too early, is it worth it? No.' Visibility is a particular concern at Spa, a fast track with a history of serious accidents. They include Anthoine Hubert's death in a Formula 2 crash in dry conditions in 2019 and another fatal accident claiming the life of Dutch teenage driver Dilano van 't Hoff in a junior series in the rain in 2023. 'I have to say that on a track like this, with what happened historically, I think you cannot forget about it. For that reason I would rather be safe than (start) too early,' said Charles Leclerc, who finished third Sunday and who was friends with Hubert since childhood. Under the current F1 design regulations in place since 2022, cars have ground-effect aerodynamics which use the floor to generate grip but can also throw up more spray. If there's enough rain for the full wet tires to be faster than the intermediates, it's likely the race will be stopped because of poor visibility anyway. There was a reminder of the importance of visibility this month at the British Grand Prix when Isack Hadjar collided with Kimi Antonelli's car from behind while driving in the Italian's trail of spray. 'I didn't see him,' Hadjar said. 'He just appeared out of nowhere, man. Oh my God.' ___ AP auto racing:
New York Times
20 minutes ago
- New York Times
Verstappen on a charge, Leclerc flustered
Dominant McLaren grabbed another 1-2, as Spa-Francorchamps hosted round 13 of the 2025 Formula One world championship Getty Images Oscar Piastri has won the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix, despite a delayed start of 80 minutes due to rain at Spa-Francorchamps. Lando Norris qualified on pole but the race began with a rolling start behind the safety car due to the wet conditions. Then once the racing began, Piastri produced a brilliant move to grab a race lead that he held to the checkered flag. Charles Leclerc completed the podium, while Lewis Hamilton recovered to finish P7 after a disastrous qualifying saw his Ferrari start 18th. F1 returns next weekend with the Hungarian Grand Prix. Join the conversation: live@ GO FURTHER Belgian Grand Prix briefing: Piastri wins, Hamilton impresses after chaotic start Getty Images LAP 39/44 — Max Verstappen sensing a potential podium as he starts pushing Charles Leclerc in third. The gap is close to within one second and DRS range now. Max chasing, which is never good news — and listening to team radio, it sounds like Leclerc is rattled. Or at least, he wants to be left to it. LAP 38/44 — Six laps to go and Lando Norris is starting to take a few tenths per lap out of his teammate. The gap is inside six seconds now. There's also a suggestion that we could yet get some more rain. The question is, will it come before the checkered flag… LAP 35/44 — And Oscar Piastri agrees with his team. The Australian will try to make these medium tires last the course. This will help too. Lando Norris locks up at La Source and loses a little more time. The gap remains at eight seconds, and Norris' engineer tells him these tires are starting to get tricky. Getty Images Lando Norris is starting to make more inroads on Oscar Piastri, taking six-tenths out of him on that last lap. Piastri is told on the radio McLaren still thinks the best bet is to go to the end on this set of mediums. If Piastri is to consider another stop, he needs to do it sooner than later. LAP 33/44 — Lewis Hamilton now within 0.5 seconds of Alex Albon in P6. He has DRS… LAP 32/44 — It was 1.2 seconds that the Pouhon mistake cost Lando Norris, as he was forced to take the escape road on the inside. Make a note of that loss and check back at the checkered flag. It does currently look like we'll get through all 44 laps here, for the record. Unless something shakes up the rhythm. There are cars starting to pit onto a second set of medium tires too. So if Oscar Piastri did want to pit, it would have to be soon... LAP 31/44 — Lando Norris was close to getting within seven seconds of Oscar Piastri. Then the gap leapt out to more than nine seconds, owing to a small mistake at Pouhon. That was a few laps ago and now Norris is starting to take big chunks out of his teammate's advantage again, getting back to 8.3 seconds — which is where we were a while ago. If he can keep up that chomping, he will make some serious inroads. Meanwhile, McLaren seems happy for Piastri to stay out and Piastri seems happy with his tire wear so far. So finely poised, this. Getty Images LAP 28/44 — Nice little move from Kimi Antonelli up the inside of Fernando Alonso at Les Combes. That's the youngest driver on the grid taking the oldest. Antonelli getting up to P14, which is a healthy improvement for the under pressure Mercedes driver. LAP 24/44 — Fascinating radio exchange for Oscar Piastri, who is effectively told by his team that it's his call whether he pits again or tries to get his medium tires to the end of the race — which would appear to be a stretch. We don't even know if Lando Norris' hard tires will make it that far. It does seem strange that the McLaren engineers wouldn't have an idea over what to do for the best, rather than leaving it up to the driver. It's going to make for a fascinating climax to this race though. The gap between the leading McLarens remains a little over eight seconds. Lewis Hamilton is clearly up for this fight. He's on the radio asking about the gap to Alex Albon ahead, seemingly frustrated he can't seem to get closer than the one-second margin right now. His engineer has told him to lift and coast. Hamilton replied: 💬 'Have we got a problem?!' To which Riccardo Adami said: 💬 'No.' Getty Images LAP 21/44 — Gabriel Bortoleto is on the Sauber team radio pleading to be let through as he says is quicker than Nico Hülkenberg ahead of him. The team agrees in the end. It's P9 and P10 for the two Saubers, which I'm sure they'd take at the checkered flag too. Still dry and all fine out there right now, which is great news! But everyone will know that could change quite quickly. LAP 19/44 — Lando Norris may be on slower tires in theory, but he is flying on them too. He has the fastest lap so far with a 1:46.865s The gap between him and Oscar Piastri up ahead is now 8.3s. Sadly for Lewis Hamilton, his progress seems to have slowed down — although P7 will still be an excellent result. We're not at half-race distance yet though, of course. LAP 16/44 — The extra lap and a slow stop with the left front, has caused Lando Norris to fall nine seconds back from Oscar Piastri at the very front. But running the hard tire might give Norris a chance to go to the end without pitting, while Piastri on mediums may need another stop as they're not designed to last as long. Could be decisive in the battle for the win, but the McLaren is very good at managing its tires. LAP 15/44 — Perfect pit call by Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari there. He's already up to P10, having been P13 before pitting. I think he'll gain another three spots once Yuki Tsunoda, Isack Hadjar and Esteban Ocon all come in too. And he has. It's P7 now, and chasing Alex Albon… Getty Images LAP 14/44 — Those cars still on inters: Yuki Tsunoda, Isack Hadjar and Esteban Ocon. Lando Norris has just pitted, and put on the hard tire. The remaining three come in now too. Norris is the only car on the hard tire. Everyone else on the medium. Big call. LAP 13/44 — Here it comes. Oscar Piastri comes in for mediums too. Lando Norris will have to stay out as there's no chance of doing a double stack and getting both McLarens in. DRS has been enabled for the first time too. Only four cars left on the intermediate tires now. LAP 12/44 — And now Lewis Hamilton takes the gamble. He's one of the first cars to go onto slicks, and the medium tire at that. Let's see how that pace looks now. Nico Hülkenberg, Pierre Gasly and Fernando Alonso also on the medium tire. Everyone else still on the inters. Getty Images LAP 12/44 — Only the McLarens are quicker than Lewis Hamilton right now. Keep an eye on him. LAP 10/44 — Oscar Piastri reports that it's only the straight to Turn 5 that is wet at the moment, and it may not be far off being able to switch to slicks...
