According to new information, Alpine could line up as a Mercedes customer team as early as the 2025 Formula 1 season and emulate Aston Martin
An Alpine-Mercedes in Formula 1 is becoming increasingly likely. Nothing has been signed yet, but if a contract is signed soon, deliveries could start as early as the 2025 season
In that case, Alpine would presumably use the “Aston Martin model” and, like Aston Martin to date, would source not only the drivetrain but also the rear suspension and transmission from Mercedes.
However, time is pressing for 2025: the new Alpine racing car has already been under development for some time and a possible change of powertrain would have to be implemented as early as possible so that the designers are not forced to make too many compromises with the chassis. The sooner it is clear which drive system will be fitted to the rear, the better for the overall package.
And Alpine seems to be convinced of this: a switch from the in-house Renault drive to Mercedes would mean an immediate increase in performance. This is because the Renault power unit is currently considered the weakest engine in the Formula 1 field. That is why the new Alpine advisor Flavio Briatore is campaigning for the realignment as a Mercedes customer team
What Toto Wolff thinks about Alpine as a customer team
So far, however, neither Alpine nor Mercedes have made any concrete statements on the engine issue. However, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff only hinted at Silverstone that his brand would be open to another customer team because Aston Martin is leaving the Mercedes squad for the 2026 season and switching to Honda.
“We like the idea of replacing Aston Martin with another team, simply because you learn so much with every team,” said Wolff. “The way we are aligned as a manufacturer, the more powertrains we use, the faster development and better reliability we have.”
However, more than exploratory talks with Alpine – as of Silverstone – had not taken place, said Wolff. “Alpine first has to make a decision as to whether it wants to continue its drive project or not. Only once this decision has been made can we talk about contractual matters. We are completely open in this respect, and we have also told Alpine this,” said Wolff.
What will happen to the engine factory in Viry-Chatillon?
The question of which engine Alpine will use in Formula 1 from 2025 or 2026 is therefore closely linked to the fate of the employees at the Renault engine plant in Viry-Chatillon in France, where the brand’s Formula 1 engines have always been developed and manufactured. The Alpine team’s chassis, on the other hand, is built in Enstone in England. The racing team also has its headquarters there.
And they are already familiar with Mercedes engines there: “Team Enstone” already used Mercedes engines once in the 2015 Formula 1 season when it raced under the name Lotus. But that was over after just one year: Renault took over the majority of the racing team again and brought it back to the grid as the Renault works team, as it had been until 2009.
