The last few weeks have seen a feeling of unrest in Viry-Chatillon, where Renault’s Power Unit is designed and developed. In July, it was confirmed that the top management of the French brand would like to close the division linked to the production of Formula 1 engines after forty years of activity, in order to allocate the staff to other strategic activities for the company in the automotive sector.
This would also mean having to rely on an external engine manufacturer, namely Mercedes, with a significant saving in terms of costs, because it would go from an expense of over 100 million for the development of its own Power Unit to 17 million for the supply by another company. Furthermore, there is also a question of revenue, because the engine manufacturers do not receive bonuses from the FOM as happens for the teams.
The decision should come by the end of September and, for now, the employees of Alpine Racing in Viry-Châtillon have managed to get a meeting with Luca De Meo to discuss the decision taken by the top management of the brand. Although this does not yet portend a change of direction in future decisions, it is an important step forward, as it will allow the required dialogue to be established in the factory located near Paris.
Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo has agreed to meet with employee representatives, who for several weeks have been denouncing “a governance deaf to any dialogue”. The future of F1 activities at Viry-Châtillon is at stake, as the possibility of interrupting the engine program for the 2026 season, which was already underway some time ago, is at stake, in order to be in line with the objectives for the new regulatory cycle that will start in a year and a half.
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
“The Social and Economic Council (CSE) of Alpine Racing, the engine manufacturer of the French Formula 1 team, announced that it has organised a meeting with Luca De Meo, Chairman and CEO of Groupe Renault, on Friday 20 September 2024, to bring to his attention the misunderstanding surrounding the end of the development of F1 engines in France, at the Viry-Châtillon site, a technology unique in France. The staff representatives thank Mr De Meo for having responded favourably to this request,” the press release reads.
Earlier this month, Luca de Meo assured Motorsport.com in an interview that the final decision had not been made and that the Board of Directors had not yet made a decision. September 30 remains an important deadline to understand what direction will be taken and what strategy will be adopted.
Since the resumption of Formula 1 after the summer break at the end of August, the employees of Viry-Châtillon have been peacefully mobilizing. In particular, they have revealed some figures and the state of work on the 2026 power unit project to demonstrate its credibility and legitimacy, but they also started a strike action in the factory on the Friday of the free practice sessions of the Italian Grand Prix. At the same time, some of them were physically present in Monza with banners and T-shirts to demand the maintenance of the project.
Now that Flavio Briatore and Oliver Oakes have taken the helm of the team, Alpine’s future policy will have to address economic, sporting and marketing issues, as abandoning the in-house engine could lead to a loss of image. Luca de Meo has however assured that the team is not for sale.
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