The future engine partner of Alpine will soon be unveiled

This is a new chapter opening within the Renault group. After decades of collaboration, Renault and Viry-Châtillon are going to part ways, with CEO Luca De Meo and F1 team former director Bruno Famin announcing a few weeks ago the cancellation of the Renault engine project for the new 2026 regulations. This situation had angered Viry-Châtillon employees, who went to the Italian Grand Prix with banners to express their discontent and their wish to have a Renault engine for Alpine in 2026, explaining that so many years of history between the two parties could not be erased so suddenly.

Alpine will make its decision very soon.

Alpine has announced that it will make its decision regarding the engine for the 2026 Formula 1 season in less than a month. Currently, several options are being considered. One of them would be to continue to make Renault an engine supplier, especially since the Renault board of directors continues to evaluate the Formula 1 engine project based in Viry-Châtillon, and the initial data provided by the Viry-Châtillon employees is promising, indicating that the power unit is on track to meet its goals. On the other hand, rumors of an agreement between Alpine and Mercedes have recently emerged, with the German manufacturer being known for preparing well for new engine regulations, such as the ones in 2014.

A major financial blow but marketing uncertainty in choosing Mercedes.

An ability that seems to have convinced Renault and its CEO Luca De Meo, who explained at the Italian Grand Prix that the option of turning Alpine into a customer team remained relevant, despite opposition from the Viry-Châtillon employees. We have four or five weeks to define the situation within the board of directors. We are analyzing how to approach F1 from 2026 to be more competitive, and we are evaluating all opportunities. The idea of ​​switching to Mercedes engines is on the table, explained the Italian, while later qualifying this possibility, stating that there are many positive points economically, but that abandoning Renault engines to ally with another manufacturer could be a marketing misstep.

« But I can assure you that no decision has been made yet. If we do a purely financial analysis of the manufacturing cost of a 2026 power unit internally compared to what you could save with a customer engine, the difference becomes enormous. Therefore, anyone looking at the numbers can understand that the opportunity to enter the new F1 regulations with a more competitive but less expensive project is on the table. »

« That being said, I would add that the proposal is on the table, but there is no decision yet from the board of directors. This is one of the aspects under discussion, along with many other important points about how we will approach F1 in the future. This is where many other factors come into play and will lead to a decision: what does marketing think? What would be the negative consequences of this choice compared to a huge financial saving?

» Many questions still remain at Alpine, which has stated that it wants to make a final decision in the coming weeks, a decision that will necessarily have an impact on the future of the brand in Formula 1, as it already hopes to compete for podium positions in two years.

The future of Viry-Châtillon is not in danger

The Italian, however, stated that even if Alpine chooses to partner with Mercedes, Viry-Châtillon will continue to exist but will be entrusted with tasks in other automotive disciplines. « We are not selling anything. In Viry-Châtillon, there are competent and qualified people working not only on F1. We have launched significant innovative projects, not only in motorsport, so we must remain calm to be able to make the best decisions. » Alpine is therefore preparing for its future, having already explained that next season will be a transition year and that the team is already working on the 2026 car, with the hope of achieving its goals.