It’s been anticipated for a while, and on Monday, Alpine confirmed its future as a customer team. Currently, the cars of drivers Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon are powered by their own Renault engines, but from 2026, the French will opt for a new supplier. Mercedes, which is losing Aston Martin as a client, appears to be the most likely candidate to supply Alpine with engines.
With the departure of team boss Bruno Famin, Alpine’s status as a factory team was already in question. Multiple sources suggested that the engine factory in Viry-Châtillon would focus on producing advanced engines for consumer cars in the future. After all, Alpine has ambitious plans for the production of ‘regular’ cars for public roads. These rumors led to multiple protests from the staff in Viry.
However, on Monday, the team announced that the factory is indeed being converted. In the future, it will become ‘a technical center for street car technology for Renault and Alpine’. Until 2026, the facility will still be used to supply turbo-hybrid engines for the Formula 1 team.
The question now is which supplier will partner with Renault in 2026. Ferrari, Mercedes, and Honda will remain on the grid for the time being, while Audi and Ford are making their debut. A collaboration with Mercedes is reportedly being considered. With the departure of Aston Martin – which has signed an exclusive deal with Honda – the Germans are open to new customers.
