How did Alan Permane get into F1: Early career

Born on February 4, 1967, in Walton-on-Thames, England, Permane trained in electronics before breaking into the world of F1. In 1988, at the age of 22 and fresh out of an apprenticeship, he landed his very first job as an electronics engineer for the Benetton F1 team, also known as a “sparky.” Permane was initially hired and mentored by Pat Symonds, a renowned figure in the sport at the time who worked as a race engineer for the likes of Michael Schumacher. 

‍

Climbing up the F1 engineering ladder

In a world where jumping from team to team is seen as almost inevitable, Permane would spend the next 30 plus years within a single organisation. Across the three decades he spent as part of the team, Permane saw Benetton evolve into Renault, Lotus, Renault again, and finally into the Alpine team we have on the grid today. In that time, he climbed his way up through the ranks, wearing many hats throughout his long career. 

The early stages of Permane’s time in F1 focused mostly on testing cars, as opposed to being present during race weekends themselves, however he did eventually transition to being present track-side. He credits Symonds as being a key figure in this part of his career, and as the one who taught him how to build and set up an F1 car.

This was also the time that Benetton saw increasing success with Schumacher. One race that stands out for him personally from this time period is the Japanese Grand Prix of 1995. The team secured the constructors championship at this race, a much-needed reprieve after an exceptionally difficult 1994 season in which they struggled in more than one way. “That, for a very long time, was my best race ever. For a very long time,” said Permane regarding the Suzuka weekend on an episode of the Beyond the Grid podcast.

Just one year later, in 1996, Permane got his first big promotion when he was appointed as a junior race engineer for Jean Alesi’s car. The following season, he moved upward yet again, becoming a full racing engineer for the team. This was a position that he held for the next 10 years, working with drivers such as Jarno Trulli and Giancarlo Fisichella. During this time, the team rebranded to Renault and continued their success. 2005 and 2006 were particularly notable, with the team taking home the Constructors' title both years.

These successes were followed by yet another turning point in Permane’s career. In 2007, Permane became chief race engineer at Renault, a position which he kept through to 2016, until he was appointed Sporting Director. During his time in that role, he got to know fellow Sporting Director over at Ferrari, Laurent Mekies, a connection that would go far for Permane later down the road. 

‍

Permane was at Renault during the Crashgate incident

Not long after Permane’s promotion to chief race engineer, Renault was faced with one of the most controversial incidents in the history of F1. While Permane himself was not involved in the infamous crashgate incident in Singapore 2008, in which Nelson Piquet Jr deliberately crashed his car, he was present at Renault at the time that it happened. His mentor, Symonds, was accused by Piquet Jr of asking the driver to intentionally crash in order to give his teammate at the time, Alonso, an advantage in the race.

Shortly after the incident, Symonds was let go from the team, and received a five-year ban from the F1 paddock. Since then, Symonds has been affiliated with other F1 teams and is currently set to be an engineering consultant for the Cadillac F1 team, which joins the grid in 2026.

‍

Why Permane left Renault/Alpine

Permane stayed in Renault until 2023, seeing them rebrand yet again into Alpine, the iteration of the team that we are familiar with today. In that time, the team struggled to replicate the results they saw in the mid 1990s with Schumacher and the early 2000s with Fernando Alonso behind the wheel. 

The early 2020s saw the team start to make several major restructuring changes to their upper management. This included letting go of then team principal, Otmar Szafnauer, and Permane as Sporting Director in the summer of 2023. After 34 seasons with the team, Permane’s final race with Alpine was that year’s Belgian Grand Prix, the final event before the summer break. 

‍

Move to VCARB and taking over as team principal

But Permane’s departure from F1 would not last long. At the beginning of 2024, it was announced that he would be joining VCARB, Red Bull’s sister team, as their new Racing Director. Working under Mekies, Permane brought his three decades of experience to the track once again to oversee all trackside engineering activities for the Faenza-based team. 

And in 2025, Spa would once again be the backdrop to a pivotal moment in Permane’s career. Yet where it once marked his final race with a team, this time around it was a much more positive experience, as Permane stepped into his newest and most important role yet: team principal. 

With Mekies stepping up as CEO and team principal of Red Bull in place of Christian Horner, the Faenza-based sister team was in need of new leadership. Mekies himself is thought to have championed Permane as his replacement, particularly with the long history that he has had in the sport. 

Few of those who have worked within F1 can claim the tenure that Permane has accumulated, particularly with one team. Now, high are the hopes for him to bring these decades of knowledge and a steady hand to the helm of VCARB, and usher in a new era of success for them. And with everything he has been able to accomplish across his lengthy career, there are few more prepared to take on the challenge.

‍

Cover image by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images via Red Bull Content Pool.