Cadillac and GM, saviors of the Viry-Châtillon engine plant?
While Alpine announced a few days ago that it was ending its collaboration with Renault for Formula 1 engines in order to join forces with Mercedes, leaving 350 employees out of a job, two major carmakers could change all that.
After half a century of collaboration crowned with many successes, the Alpine team announced the end of its partnership with the Viry-Châtillon factory, responsible for the engine part for the French team. Bruno Famin, former director of Alpine, announced on Friday during the Belgian Grand Prix that the Enstone team was considering becoming a customer for its engines, hence the many ongoing discussions with the German manufacturer Mercedes.
A Controversial Decision and Its Repercussions
This decision has caused great frustration among the employees of Viry-Châtillon, who were already working on the future engines of the brand. They had to immediately abandon their projects, triggering a revolt. Some employees even threatened to no longer start the team’s engines. However, a possible solution may be emerging, according to some journalists like Adam Cooper.
Indeed, Bruno Famin had explained his intention not to lay off the 350 employees of the Formula 1 sector, but to reassign them to other activities, including Alpine’s road car program. Although this solution is balanced, it threatens the very identity of the Viry-Châtillon factory, which has been producing Renault engines for decades.
Andretti and General Motors to Save the Alpine Team?
However, a miracle solution seems to be possible to keep the integrity of the factory: selling the 2026 project to General Motors and creating a Cadillac PU that could put Andretti on the grid. A possibility that is certainly delicate to establish, given the speech delivered by Liberty Media at the beginning of the year strongly rejecting Andretti’s entry into Formula 1 in 2026, but which could be financially advantageous for Renault, given the power of the Andretti and General Motors manufacturers in the American market.
For Andretti, the deal would be ideal as it would allow the team to integrate into Formula 1 with a project already in place at Silverstone, led by Nick Chester and Pat Symonds, former members of the Renault F1 team, which could strengthen the ties and discussions between the two parties.
This would constitute a reversal of the situation since in 2023, the Alpine team, which was achieving much more prolific results, had announced under the leadership of their director Laurent Rossi: “We have agreed that if they obtain their license to race in Formula 1, then we will provide them with a powertrain.”
Andretti has always main ambition to be a Renault customer in 2026-27, then to launch its own Cadillac PU built in the United States in 2028. Despite Liberty Media’s refusal, this possibility is not completely ruled out according to the rejection letter provided by F1 to the American manufacturer on January 31.
« We would consider differently an entry request from a team in the 2028 championship with a GM power unit, either as a GM factory team or as a GM customer team designing all allowed components internally. In this case, there would be additional factors to consider regarding the value that the candidate would bring to the championship, especially regarding the introduction of a new prestigious manufacturer in the sport as a PU provider. »
The door is therefore open for a power unit produced by Cadillac for 2026. However, the trend could be completely different if Andretti decides to take over the Alpine project, abandoned a few days after the end of the collaboration between Alpine and Renault.
A mutual interest
A convergence of interests between Renault, eager to disengage from F1, and Cadillac, determined to provide an engine to Andretti, could save the Viry-Châtillon factory. This would also help reduce logistical costs, with Alpine currently paying significant amounts to produce its own engines.
With the arrival of GM and Andretti, the French team would benefit from a crucial source of income, keeping the Viry factory operational and able to pursue other projects. The Enstone and Viry-Châtillon factories would continue to coexist, maintaining balance within the structure, torn in recent days by the numerous changes implemented within the group.
If the rumors relayed by media such as Auto Motor und Sport materialize, Cadillac could have a PU two years earlier than expected. The operation in Viry could continue smoothly, and Renault shareholders would welcome the injected financing. F1 would still have six PU manufacturers in 2026.
Many advantages could thus emerge for the French brand and its employees from this difficult situation. The challenge now is to convince Renault’s executives, notably the CEO Luca De Meo, who is firmly against Andretti’s arrival in Formula 1 as it would reduce the value and profits generated by his team following the arrival of an 11th racing team.
Time is running out for Andretti, eager to establish a presence in Formula 1 as early as 2026, and for Renault, who must manage its 350 unemployed workers. A quick decision is needed to prevent these employees from being hired by other Formula 1 teams, such as Audi or Red Bull.
