Oliver Oakes, who succeeded Bruno Famin at the head of Alpine F1 this summer, said he wanted performance above all, regardless of the engine fitted to his cars.
Since the start of the week, it has now been confirmed that the Renault F1 engine will be abandoned at the end of the 2025 season, leaving Alpine to become a customer team from the following year.
It seems that the Mercedes engine will be chosen by Alpine F1 to begin the new regulatory era. Power units produced at Brixworth have had a track record going for them since 2014 and the start of the hybrid era, having won eight manufacturers’ world championships.
This decision to put an end to the Renault F1 engine was obviously not well received at the French factory in Viry-Châtillon. Staff representatives “regret and deplore” this announcement, as they made known via a press release.
Also read: The Renault F1 engine “victim of a cabal” led by the Enstone factory?
“SIf you win, no one really cares what’s under the hood”
The question of the engine used by the Alpine team was obviously asked to Oliver Oakes, new team director. The Briton, notably appointed by Flavio Briatore as executive advisor to the team, for his part emphasizes performance above all else.
“I think, cruelly, for me as a team principal, I just want to have the best engine and race. That’s the main thing”, he told RacingNews365 before the announcement of the abandonment of the F1 engine at Viry.
Asked about the loss of identity of his team without Renault engines, Oliver Oakes believes that if his team wins, the engine will no longer be a subject.
“I would say that there is a great history on the side of Viry and Enstone. But I would also say that if you win, no one really cares what’s under the hood, and I mean that nicely.”
Also read: Renault buries its F1 engine project in Viry and creates Alpine Hypertech
