Flavio Briatore was keen to stress that Alpine’s decision to abandon the Renault power unit to take the Mercedes one from 2026 is not his choice. “The issue had already been decided by Renault’s management,” explained Alpine’s advisor. “It was a measure that had already been defined in advance of my arrival in the team. I’m not always the bad guy. I still am, but not in this. For everything else, you can blame me, but not for this issue.”
In the Monza paddock we met Luca De Meo, president of the Renault Group, who told Motorsport.com: “We have four or five weeks to define the situation in the board. We are analyzing how to approach F1 from 2026 to be more competitive and we are evaluating every opportunity. The idea of switching to Mercedes engines is on the table, but I can assure you that there was no choice”.
Pierre Gasly, Alpine A524, struggling with a front lock
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
In Viry Chatillon, however, there was a strike to try to oppose a measure that would cut the French structure that designs and builds the power units out of F1…
“If we do a purely financial analysis of how much it costs to build a 2026 power unit ourselves and how much we could save with a customer engine, the difference becomes abysmal, so whoever looks at the numbers cannot help but take note of what could be the opportunity to enter the new F1 regulations with a more competitive but less expensive project”.
De Meo has a great quality: he says what he thinks and doesn’t mince words: “Having said that, I would add that the proposal is on the table, but there hasn’t been a decision by the Council. This is one of the aspects that is being discussed with many other important points on how we will approach F1 in the future”.
Alpine protesters in Viry-Chatillon go on strike
Photo by: Anaël Bernier – Horizons Multiples
But how can it be acceptable to see an Alpine – Mercedes on the grid?
“So many other factors come into play that will lead to a decision: what does marketing think? What would be the negative consequences of this choice in the face of a huge financial saving?”
Today the budget cap of a power unit manufacturer is 100 million dollars per year, while the supply of a customer engine costs only 17 million. In reality this account is limited to an existing unit like the one today. The window opens enormously if we consider the study, design and development of a new engine that will be 50% electric and the other 50% endothermic. There are manufacturers who will have invested hundreds of millions in the end…
“This is the financial framework and it must be cross-referenced with everything else. The ambition is to build a competitive project and the choices, therefore, include many factors that must be evaluated with great care.”
One thing seems certain, then: the sale of the team is not in the plans, as well as the possible sale of Viry Chatillon. There were those who hypothesized Andretti’s interest in acquiring the Parisian structure to offer the American team a staff ready for F1.
“We are not selling anything. At Viry Chatillon there are capable and prepared people who are working not only on F1, but we have started important innovative projects not only in motorsport, so we need to keep a bit calm so that we can arrive at the best choices”.
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