Renault ceases to be an engine manufacturer in F1, Alpine close to agreement with Mercedes

Alpine is the sports and racing arm of the Renault group, while Alpine F1 is the French car manufacturer’s factory team in Formula 1. F1 chassis are manufactured in Enstone, Britain, and power units in Viry-Satillon, France.

But at the end of 2025 this second sector of the team will cease to manufacture Formula 1 engines. Alpine/Renault has announced that the Viry factory will join the Hypertech program, which will turn its activities in a different direction.

This is important because it means that jobs will be preserved. In fact, Alpine’s statement said it has engaged in extensive contact and consultation sessions with employee representatives, and all company employees affected by the changes will be offered a new position within the Hypertech organization.

In particular, Renault’s official announcement states that the Viry factory will become one “highly technologically advanced mechanical engineering center”which “will bring together some of the world’s greatest talent for the development of ultra-high-performance vehicles and innovations in cutting-edge technologies” for the Renault group and its sports arm, Alpine.

According to Alpine CEO Philip Crieff, “the creation of the center Hypertech is key to its development strategy Alpine and, more generally, for the group’s technological innovation strategy (Renault)”.

Viry’s engine center has a history of half a century in Formula 1. In the 1970s it innovated with the introduction and establishment of Turbo engines in the sport, while in the following decades it won F1 world championships with Williams, Benetton / Renault F1, and finally Red Bull Racing.

Renault’s announcement means Vory is ceasing development of the all-new F1 power unit for 2026. This means Alpine F1 will become a ‘customer’ team, meaning it will source its engines from another manufacturer – and already contacts with Mercedes are said to be advanced.

For Mercedes, there will be a free 2026 engine supply slot, as Aston Martin F1 from the same year will use Honda power units. For Alpine F1 the use of Mercedes engines will have other benefits as the Mercedes High Performance Powertrains (HPP) factory is located in Brixworth, England, close to Enstone.

Renault’s decision to wind up its F1 engine division after almost half a century comes just months after the return to the Enstone team of Flavio Briatore – the team principal who won championships with Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso, but it was also linked to the big scandal of the 2008 Singapore GP scandal which did nothing but good for Renault’s reputation.