management set to abandon manufacturing Formula 1 engines for its Alpine team

Renault is considering stopping manufacturing the engines that currently power its Alpine F1 team. Between the French firm and Formula 1, it is the end of a story that has lasted nearly 50 years, and a real earthquake for the Viry-Châtillon factory.

The car manufacturer Renault has been developing its own engines since 1977, the year that marked the entry of the diamond brand into Formula 1. Forty-eight years later, the French firm could abandon the construction of F1 engines, and equip its Alpine team with other engines.

The decision has not yet been officially made, but management does not deny this rumor that has been growing for several days: from 2026, the Alpine team, which carries the group’s colors in competition, should be equipped with engines from the German Mercedes, if we are to believe motorsport specialists. The news of the cessation of the construction of these engines was announced on Tuesday, July 23 to staff representatives, and should be made official on July 30 during a CSE (Social and Economic Committee).

This project by Renault to abandon the manufacture of F1 engines is mainly a consequence of the ecological transition. With the development of the electric engine, continuing to rely on thermal and fuel in the sport no longer holds up on strategic and marketing levels. A decision had to be made and Renault boss Luca de Meo has just pressed the button.

It must also be acknowledged that the Alpine team’s performance has declined in recent years. The Renault subsidiary has had to deal with problems with the design of the car’s cockpit, recurring concerns about engine power, as well as new rules soon to come into force, requiring costly mechanical development. All this has weighed in the balance, not to mention the increasingly palpable disagreements between the French technicians, manufacturers of the engine at the Viry-Châtillon site (in Essonne), and the British team based in Oxford, in the south-east of England.

This is a major blow for the Renault engine manufacturing site in Viry-Châtillon, located about twenty kilometers south of Paris. Management is planning retraining within the group and is promising no job losses out of the 350 current positions. The center that houses the Formula 1 activity is set to become a high-tech hub for electric engines and Renault’s future hydrogen blocks. But this decision to abandon the construction of F1 engines is also a cultural shock. Renault engine blocks have equipped no fewer than twelve world champion teams over the past 47 years.