Permane to make F1 return as RB announce several technical and trackside reinforcements

The newly-rebranded RB team have announced major changes to their F1 operation ahead of the 2024 season, with three experienced technical and trackside personnel arriving as they look to improve on P8 in the 2023 constructors’ standings.

One of those is Alan Permane who, after departing Alpine as their Sporting Director midway through last season, will take up the role of Racing Director with immediate effect, reporting to new Team Principal Laurent Mekies.

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Permane, who also worked for the Enstone team under their Renault, Lotus and Benetton guises in a period covering more than 34 years, will be responsible for all engineering operations at the race track.

“After a few months of downtime, it’s great to return to racing again with the Visa Cash App RB team,” said Permane. “From long experience, I know how professional, driven and competitive the people within this race team are and I can’t wait to see where that spirit can take the team in the future.”

Meanwhile, Tim Goss will take on the new role of Chief Technical Officer in October, having most recently served as Technical Director of the sport’s governing body, the FIA.

Goss’s experience includes 28 years with McLaren, where he rose from Assistant Race Engineer to become Head of Vehicle Performance, Chief Engineer, Director of Engineering and Technical Director in 2013.

“I am delighted to join [RB] at the start of its new era of competition,” said Goss, who helped to deliver a hatful of drivers’ titles with Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen and Lewis Hamilton at McLaren.

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“It’s a team with great pride and heritage, with some exceptional people already in place, and I’m looking forward to working with Team Principal Laurent Mekies and alongside Technical Director Jody Egginton. There’s an exciting challenge ahead of us but I think the team is well-equipped to meet that head on.”

The third and final change sees Guillaume Cattelani join the team as Deputy Technical Director, reporting to Technical Director Jody Egginton.

With more than 15 years of F1 experience at Lotus, McLaren and most recently Red Bull Technology, Cattelani will focus on Aerodynamics, Vehicle Performance, and technology, establishing car performance targets, and providing the operational leadership to achieve these objectives.

“It’s fantastic to have this opportunity to take the [RB] team to the next level of competitiveness,” said Cattelani. “I’m really looking forward to working with Jody and all of the other members of the technical team to create machinery that drives the team forward and takes us towards the front of the grid.”

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Commenting on the appointments, team CEO Peter Bayer said: “These appointments represent a strong step forward for [RB]. The appointments of Guillaume and Alan will boost capability in design and development of our cars and in performance at the track.

“Then, with Tim’s arrival in October, we will have put in place the key elements of a structure designed to take us on the next phase of our journey and ensure the long-term success of the team.”

Team Principal Mekies added: “The appointments of Tim, Guillaume and Alan add a vast amount of winning expertise to the Team, and I have no doubt that they will help take the team to the next level in F1.

“We already have a very strong and hugely experienced group at the Team and bringing onboard highly-skilled individuals like Tim, Guillaume and Alan will boost our capability and help us meet the highest technical standards at [RB], both at the factory and at the track.”

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Giving his take on the changes, continuing Technical Director Egginton commented: “I’m very much looking forward to working with both Tim and Guillaume.

“In the coming months Guillaume’s focus on aerodynamics and vehicle dynamics will allow us to hone and develop this year’s car and add capability going forward, while Tim’s arrival will absolutely give us the structure we need to create cars that will elevate the team’s performance even further in the coming years.”