Renault Doesn't Even Trust Renault To Build Competitive Formula 1 Engines

Image: Alpine F1 Team

Renault’s near-non-stop participation in Formula 1, which began in 1977, has been tumultuous, to say the least. While the company handed over its entry in the sport to sub-brand Alpine in 2021, the yellow diamond brand has been a powertrain supplier to no fewer than 12 teams in that time. Currently the only car carrying Renault power is the Alpine, but after the new engine regulations take effect for the 2026 season, even that deal is done. Renault will not spend the money to develop a new engine to the new regulations and instead will bow out of the sport entirely after 47 years.

Reggie Watts and His Hand-Me-Down Renault

Renault engines have powered 11 world drivers’ championship victories since 1992, including two as a constructor with Fernando Alonso in 2005 and 2006. Following Sebastian Vettel’s run of four in a row ending in 2013, however, the company has found limited success. Red Bull parted ways with Renault at the end of the 2018 season when it moved to Honda power. Renault had a rough time as McLaren’s engine supplier for a few years, but since the end of the 2020 season Renault power has only been employed by the Alpine team. Renault can’t build a winning engine anymore, and it doesn’t want to dump a bunch of money into building yet another mediocre powertrain no other teams want to buy.

Starting in 2026 the Alpine team will use Mercedes powertrain units, joining Mercedes, McLaren, and Williams—Aston Martin, which currently uses Mercedes powertrains, will be switching to Honda power. Not only is this move a cost-savings effort by the team, but it will hopefully be able to benefit from Mercedes’ own R&D and shared data between eight cars on the grid instead of just the two Renault-powered cars currently.

The company’s F1 engine factory at Viry-Chatillon will continue to operate as-is until the end of the 2025 season, at which point it will be transformed into a new engineering campus to develop tech for future Alpine and Renault street cars. Allegedly this will include the production and assembly of a new Alpine-branded hypercar.

Alpine thus far in 2024 has scored just 13 points and can’t seem to push to finishing any higher than 9th (which it has done four times). Compare that to the team’s 2023 effort scoring 120 points during the season and even seeing the podium a couple of times. Only the Sauber team, currently on zero points, ranks lower in the constructors’ championship.