Choosing the best option will mean not leaving the sport for the fourth time.
Ferrari, Williams, McLaren and Sauber. These teams have been in Formula One for many years, and it seems they will continue for years. But one team is in the sport and jumps occasionally as a manufacturer and then as an engine supplier. It is Renault, which has only won two world F1 titles but accomplished many others by being an engine partner.
In 2021, when the team was still Renault, Luca de Meo became the company’s CEO and designed a scheme for Alpine’s sportscar brand to be apart from Renault and oversee the racing division in all classes. The idea at that point was to give Renault a boost in developing its future in electric cars, with Dacia as the SUV and, of course, Alpine. So far, the sales of all three of these types of automobiles have been successful, but for the racing part, it has not done much, except for a few podiums and one victory.
According to some reports, the change in the type of engines might suit other teams, but the newly formed Renault Group thinks this effort might be too expensive for the company. That is where the change might take place in 2026. So far, Renault has not commented on the situation, and other reports say that Alpine could be up for sale. But de Meo, who is an avid racing fan, commented that the team is not up for sale and there is no chance of having to put it up for anyone to buy.
Whether or not this idea is possible will be proven in a couple of years. Still, it has been mentioned that Red Bull powerplants might be the company that Alpine might be interested in. But unless the storylines are true, Ford should be the company that Red Bull is interested in supplying starting in 2026, not the idea that Red Bull has its own units.
But the Red Bull powertrains will use Ford technology, so that is one option that Alpine might use. The past difficulties that both Red Bull and Renault might have had might be gone because the French manufacturer is no longer involved in it, even though they own Alpine altogether.
What makes things worse is the performance of both the WEC team and the Formula One squad. Despite some hope for the team and a good start at the first race in Qatar, the team has not performed to its potential, even though it is the first season with the new car. The disappointing exit and ending of both cars with technical troubles even before the first few hours of the race were over at Lemans shows more work needs to be done.
On the other hand, the F1 team had trouble finishing no better than ninth and tenth in the last race in Canada. While the season has many more races to go, the friction between Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly does not improve things, with one driver leaving at the end of the season and the other thinking about doing the same.
Straightening out the difficulties will take considerable improvement, and losing many personnel might occur later. But if they select the best option, it will mean not leaving the sport for the fourth time.
