Luca de Meo announces his resignation from the Renault Group
Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo announces his resignation, adding to the climate of instability surrounding the Alpine F1 team.
Luca de Meo, CEO of the Renault Group, announced his resignation, a decision that adds to the turmoil surrounding the Alpine Formula 1 team.
A key role at Renault
Luca De Meo had played a key role in the identity change of the Renault team, rebranded as Alpine for the 2021 season to highlight the group’s sports brand.
However, this name change has not been synonymous with success on the track.
Fernando Alonso’s return had coincided with a team victory, secured by Esteban Ocon at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix. But since then, Alpine has never managed to close the gap with the top four teams.
Under Luca de Meo’s leadership, the F1 team experienced significant instability, with a rapid succession of team principals: Cyril Abiteboul, Marcin Budkowski, Otmar Szafnauer, Bruno Famin, and more recently Ollie Oakes have taken the helm of the team since 2020. Last year, Flavio Briatore also made a return as an executive advisor for F1.
An unexpected departure
Luca De Meo will officially leave the Renault group on July 15, 2025, to take on new challenges outside the automotive sector.
In a statement, the group said: « After 5 years at the head of Groupe Renault, Luca de Meo has announced his decision to step down to pursue new projects outside the automotive industry. »
« The Board of Directors, meeting under the chairmanship of Jean-Dominique Senard, expressed its gratitude to Luca de Meo for the turnaround and transformation of the Renault Group, and accepted that his departure will take effect as of July 15, 2025. Luca de Meo will continue to perform his duties until that date. »
The Board has initiated the process of appointing a new Chief Executive Officer, in accordance with the established succession plan. It also expressed confidence in the quality and experience of the leadership team to continue and accelerate the Group’s transformation strategy.
Regarding F1, the future of Alpine and Renault’s long-term involvement remains uncertain. Renault has already decided to abandon its in-house engine project for 2026, and Alpine will become a customer team of Mercedes from that date. **Persistent rumors suggest Renault’s intention to sell the team.**
In the short term, the alliance with Mercedes could offer a competitive gain on the grid. But for now, Alpine is in last place in the 2025 constructors’ standings after ten rounds.
