Two years after one of the saddest weekends of his career, Alan Permane returned to the Belgian Grand Prix this week with a spring in his step as the newly-appointed boss of Racing Bulls.
.gif)
Appointed two weeks ago, in the wake of Laurent Mekies' departure to take charge of sister team Red Bull, following the dismissal of Christian Horner, Permane was congratulated by friends up and down the pitlane.
He was happy too to reflect on his dramatic change of fortunes after being told by Alpine, in 2023, that the Belgian race was to be his last as their sporting director after a 34-year career with the Enstone-based outfit.
"It's been quite a journey, that's for sure," he said. "Two years ago, here, it was a very sad day for me, but I'm just eternally grateful to the Red Bull family for what they've done for me."
Permane, 58, had been a permanent part of the team and the paddock for decades, earning respect and admiration as he worked his way up from early experience as a mechanic with the Benetton test team.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff described him as a "a rock of F1" and someone "with a lot of knowledge".
But as Alpine, the team that followed previous outfits Benetton, Renault and Lotus in running their operation from Enstone, lurched from one crisis towards another, he was dumped.
Facing an uncertain future, he was delighted when his phone rang and it was friend and colleague Mekies at the other end, offering him a job as Racing Director at Racing Bulls.
He accepted and now, with Mekies' promotion, has the Frenchman to thank again for recommending him as his successor.
"I am so proud to be given this opportunity to lead this team," said Permane. "I am looking forward to it. It's been a busy two weeks, that's for sure, but it has been exciting.
"For me, it's quite a change. I'm a trackside guy. I've spent my life at the race track. There you manage teams of 60 to 100 people, but now it's another step up... I'm looking forward to it."
Ironically, he will now rub shoulders with other team bosses including Alpine's consultant executive Flavio Briatore who was one of the first to send congratulations, having been his boss at Enstone during their Benetton days.