Mecachrome produces, Alpine develops: How Alpine's F1 engines are made
With a partnership that has lasted for more than 20 years, Mercachrome and Renault-Alpine have a strong common relationship in the development of the brand's Formula 1 engines. However, this could come to an end if the French team stops its engine production from 2026.
When we talk about Alpine engines in Formula 1, we quickly think of the brand's historical site located in Viry-Chatillon (Essonne). But the French team also calls on the Mecachrome group to assemble and test its engines at its automotive center in Aubigny-sur-Nère (Cher).
This trust relationship, which has been going on for about twenty years, is well established. There has always been a relationship of trust with Renault for a very long time, explains Christian Cornille, CEO of Mecachrome. The tacit and even explicit rule we had with them is that Mecachrome was a partner of Renault, part of the brand's community. We communicated very little about what we were doing with it.
Assembly and installation of the engine
The role of Mecachrome in the production of engines used by Alpine is well defined. Mecachrome is responsible for the production and assembly, while Alpine, on their side, handles the development and technical innovation. "We assemble the engines in series. When I say in series, I am referring to the racing engines," explains Christian Cornille. "We also manufacture the main parts of these engines, namely the cylinder head and main casing. In summary, we assemble these engines, test them, and deliver them to the racing team."
While the development engines are produced in Viry-Châtillon, Mecachrome is responsible for making these engines available to the team, which develops and improves the main engines itself.
A close collaboration
In order to carry out this collaboration, the various engineers from both sites are regularly in contact. They even share the premises of Mecachrome. "We work very closely with the Alpine teams. In fact, part of it is located in our workshops," said the French manager.
Mecachrome's role in engine assembly is therefore to respect the wishes dictated by Alpine and to bring as much precision as possible to their production. "Our role is to assemble the engines as perfectly as possible to be delivered to the races," says Christian Cornille. "This represents the bulk of the partnership with Alpine [...] This whole assembly is directly integrated on the chassis and that is what we provide to Alpine. Sometimes, we provide them directly at the track when there are complicated adjustments. We provide a complete assembly, a complete power unit."
Mecachrome also receives all the parts from other suppliers, including the turbo, MGU-H, MGU-K, and the battery, and assembles all the components on the power unit made available to Alpine in F1.
« There is the entire electrical auxiliary component, and this unit is directly supplied to Enstone and integrated into the chassis. We provide a complete power unit. We even manage to do this directly in Enstone. »
Also read: What elements make up an F1 engine?
While a possible halt in the conception of Renault engines for F1 from 2026 has been announced by management, Mecachrome will have to wait for this decision to be definitively confirmed by the end of the month in order to have a clearer view on the future of their partnership. However, other agreements link the two entities, as Alpine and Mecachrome have established a new cooperation this season for the LMDh (Le Mans Daytona h).
