Mathieu Warnier, Media365, published on Tuesday November 12, 2024 at 1:25 p.m.
The Alpine team formalized this Tuesday that it had signed an engine supply contract with Mercedes from the 2026 season, following the announcement of the closure of the Renault group's F1 engine department.
The open secret is no longer relevant. At the end of last September, the Renault group put an end to the suspense concerning the future of its Formula 1 engine department, located in Viry-Châtillon. Wishing to transform the site into a “center of excellence” called Hypertech Alpine, the French automobile group announced that it would stop its activity as a Formula 1 engine manufacturer at the end of the 2025 season. Discussions were then opened with the various suppliers ahead of be on the starting grid in 2026, which will see the discipline begin a new cycle with profoundly modified single-seaters, including active aerodynamics, and a V6 turbo hybrid engine remodeled to allow parity between thermal and electrical energy as well as the the use of synthetic fuels to replace those derived from petroleum. Very quickly, the noises from the paddock revealed very advanced negotiations between the Alpine staff, led by Flavio Briatore, and the leaders of the Mercedes team.
Alpine will also benefit from the Mercedes gearbox
Indeed, Aston Martin having to join forces with Honda from 2026, the German manufacturer has the possibility of signing a contract with a new client, alongside McLaren and Williams. The result of these high-level discussions was made official this Tuesday via a press release published on social networks by the Enstone-based team. “A multi-year agreement will see Mercedes-Benz supply the Alpine team for the duration of the new regulatory era, from 2026 and at least until 2030,” it is specified. In addition to the engine, the Alpine team will also benefit from the supply of the gearbox by Mercedes from the 2026 season.” If the Franco-British team has lifted the veil on its future, it remains “focused on obtaining the highest possible level of performance during the 2024 and 2025 seasons”, which will see a chapter in the long history between the Renault group and Formula 1 come to an end. This agreement with Mercedes will above all be the source of savings since this engine supply contract will be less expensive than financing the development of a new engine.
