The future of Renault’s F1 engine programme has been in doubt for some time. Alpine are considering whether to abandon their own engines and, by extension, manufacturer status. Should Alpine commit to a new engine supplier, they are expected to reach a deal with Mercedes for 2026 and beyond.
Alpine evaluating a switch to Mercedes engines
Briatore unsure about the team’s next steps
Alpine’s decision to appoint Flavio Briatore as executive advisor was met with mixed reactions. The Italian is a polarising figure, though the team’s intentions when signing him were clear.
The Enstone-based squad are prepared to take bold action to reverse their fortunes, and Briatore is permitted to pull any levers he deems necessary.
After years of relatively uncompetitive engines, Renault power units could find themselves out of Alpine’s F1 equation.
According to Briatore, the future of the engine department is out of his hands. However, his comments certainly indicate a belief that new power units could be beneficial:
“No idea… this is the decision of the chairman of the Renault group.
“The problem is the evidence. The stuff with the engine was decided already by the management of Renault and for me, it’s fine.
“Our chairman decided it was fine. This was decided already before I arrived in the team,” explained the Alpine executive advisor.
“Look at McLaren at other teams. McLaren are not doing everything. If you want to win, you need the best of everything that is possible.
“My job is really to make the team in condition to win. Everything is possible to make sure all the important parts are competitive.”
Alpine pursue a new philosophy
The team’s decision to sign Jack Doohan for 2025 is significant in more ways than one. At the surface level, the Australian will be the first Alpine junior to be promoted to the main team.
Doohan’s profile is very different from that of big-name drivers like Alonso and Ricciardo, who have joined the team in previous seasons.
As a rookie, the 21-year-old will not elevate the scrutiny at Alpine. Instead, his presence is evidence that the team are in a transitional phase, building towards 2026 and beyond.
Of course, their inability to attract someone like Carlos Sainz is evidence of their decline. It was not too long ago that drivers were willing to take a risk on Alpine and the project. Evidently, the consensus around the paddock is far less optimistic than it was previously.
The team’s potential switch to Mercedes engines, though evidence of their willingness to adapt, could be read as an unwillingness to invest sufficiently in the Renault power units.
Still, Alpine still has time to prepare for the next regulation changes.
