Alpine brings back another boss from its title-winning years as it struggles in Formula 1

SILVERSTONE, England (AP) — Alpine is bringing back a figure from its glory days to help the struggling Formula 1 team out of a disastrous season.

Steve Nielsen is rejoining the team as managing director from September ahead of the Italian Grand Prix. He was sporting director for its title-winning seasons with Fernando Alonso in 2005 and 2006, when it was known as Renault.

He is “one of the most long-standing and well-respected figures in the sport,” Alpine said in a statement.

Nielsen will oversee the day-to-day running of Alpine and report to executive advisor Flavio Briatore, who also led the team in those mid-2000s title-winning years. Briatore took over more duties when Oli Oakes suddenly resigned as team principal in May after less than a year. Nielsen moves from a senior role with F1.

Alpine is last in the constructors' standings with only 11 points all season, less than half of any other team. Those were all scored by Pierre Gasly. Alpine started the year with Jack Doohan in the second car and replaced him with Franco Colapinto in May, but neither has finished a race above 13th place.

Nielsen's arrival marks yet another change of management after a turbulent few years for the Renault-owned team. It started the decade with a “100-race plan” to become a podium contender again, but has instead slipped toward the back of the field.

Alpine was largely off the pace last year, too, though a double podium finish in Brazil late in the season lifted the team, which finished sixth in the constructors' standings.

Appointing Nielsen is the first major change at the team since it was announced last month that Renault Group chief executive Luca de Meo, who oversaw the team's 2021 rebrand from Renault to Alpine, would leave his post.

Alpine faces another major change when it switches to Mercedes engines for a new era of F1 regulations in 2026. That follows parent company Renault's decision last year to shutter its long-running program developing F1 engines.

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Alpine driver Pierre Gasly of France in action during the Austrian Formula One Grand Prix in Spielberg, Austria, Sunday, June 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

NEW YORK (AP) — English actors Tom Hiddleston and Zawe Ashton have welcomed their second child.

Hiddleston confirmed the news to GQ in a feature published Monday. He described birth as the “most beautiful, profound, earth-shattering, life-altering” experience. He did not share his child's birthday, but according to the feature, the interview took place in early December, and the birth was “just the other day.”

Hiddleston, 44, and Ashton, 41, first met while starring in a 2019 revival of the play “Betrayal.” They confirmed their engagement in 2022 and welcomed their first child later that year.

“Becoming a father is the most important and meaningful thing that's ever happened to me, and the most important thing I will ever do,” Hiddleston told The Associated Press earlier this year.

Both Hiddleston and Ashton were born in London. Hiddleston is best known for his portrayal of Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), beginning with the 2011 blockbuster “Thor” and continuing in the Disney+ series, “Loki.”

Ashton is also a member of the MCU, having portrayed Dar-Benn in the 2023 film “The Marvels.” She's also known for roles in “Fresh Meat,” “Not Safe for Work,” Netflix's “Velvet Buzzsaw” and other projects.

Representatives for Hiddleston and Ashton did not immediately reply to AP's request for comment.

FILE - Tom Hiddleston and Zawe Ashton pose for photographers upon arrival at the Season 2 UK Premiere of The Night Manager in London, England, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (Photo by Millie Turner/Invision/AP, File)