Despite rumors that it may close the Renault Works section, a French manufacturer is in negotiations with competitors regarding customer engine arrangements.
According to reports, Alpine is thinking about making a big change to its Formula 1 strategy, maybe giving up on its works Renault engine in favor of a customer agreement starting in 2026. After a difficult start to the current season, the team is evaluating its F1 project as it makes this decision. Senior executives at Renault and Alpine are looking at every option to turn things around and are unsure if it’s really necessary to spend so much money on developing their own engines.
The performance of the present Renault power unit has fallen behind that of its rivals, and the next generation of turbo hybrids, which is expected to arrive in 2026, does not ensure that this situation will change. Consequently, a strategy to stop developing its 2026 power unit is being thought of by Renault, with the possibility of rebranding Alpine as a customer team.
Bruno Famin, the principal of the Alpine team, has been thinking about this change for a few weeks now and has been talking to competitors about other possibilities. At first, Red Bull’s new power units, which will launch in 2026, seemed like a sensible option among the possible partners. A agreement with Alpine is doubtful, though, as Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has voiced worries about pushing their skills too far in their first year.
Mercedes shows herself to be a formidable contender if the Red Bull deal falls through. In 2026, Mercedes will be able to secure a supply agreement with Aston Martin as they move to Honda. The German company has a track record of supplying engines to other teams without any commercial issues, including Aston Martin and McLaren.
F1 regulations guarantee that one of the current engine suppliers would be required to furnish engines should Alpine want to pursue a customer engine route and fail to obtain a deal independently. This presumably points to Honda, as the company has no plans for a second client team in 2026.
Renault CEO Luca de Meo has reiterated his commitment to retaining Alpine in Formula One, despite the team’s engine situation being unstable. He has also refuted reports that the team may be sold in whole or in part. He pointed out that the current engine has continuously underperformed compared to competitors, acknowledging Renault’s past difficulties with hybrid engine performance.
By eliminating the legacy component of its Viry-Chatillon engine department, switching to customer engines might simplify future sales for Alpine and provide it with more competitive power units at a reduced cost. Since the 1970s, Renault’s F1 engine manufacture has been centered in this department, which is located close to Paris. Renault may concentrate on other motorsport endeavors, including improving the power unit for its WEC Hypercar, which presently runs a modified Mecachrome F2 engine with a spec hybrid system, even if a break from F1 engine development would be substantial.
Alpine has not yet made any formal remarks regarding the circumstances.
