Research notes
Burnell (Joe Burnell, British, MEng in Mechanical Engineering from Warwick University, graduated 2005) began his career in industry (as a Product Manager at Meech Static Eliminators), before working as a Design/Project Engineer at Triumph Motorcycles. In August 2010 he joined Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains in Brixworth, where during the F1 V6 turbo-hybrid era he was responsible for the integration and packaging of the hybrid power unit, rising through the ranks to Head of Mechanical Engineering. In September 2021 he moved to Alpine at Enstone as Head of Powertrain Design, and from November 2022 acted as/was appointed Chief Engineer (responsible for the A526 project). In March 2024, when the team restructured its technical organization into a three-pillar structure, he was appointed Technical Director (Engineering), reporting to Executive Technical Director David Sanchez. Note: A526 is the official project code for the car he was responsible for at Alpine.
Head of the Engineering department.