Is Alpine cheating on the power figures of its engines to gain an advantage? Mercedes and Ferrari urge FIA to be cautious
Alpine is facing headwind in Formula One for its claims about its own engine performance, as rivals do not believe the Frenchman’s powertrain is as bad as the manufacturer itself claims. Mercedes Formula One team boss Toto Wolff has therefore sided with Ferrari, saying Alpine is exaggerating when it comes to its alleged power deficit, which the racing team can only make up with special permission from the FIA, the world governing body for automobiles.
When the Formula One Commission met last month for the Belgian Grand Prix, the issue of engine balancing was on the agenda. The meeting had been called after Alpine claimed its engine supplier Renault needed to make up a possible 30 horsepower deficit to rivals Ferrari, Mercedes and Honda.
With this deficit in hand, Alpine management met with other teams to see if support for performance-enhancing measures would be possible. Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur, however, doubted the extent of the problem. Exemptions could be granted to manufacturers who are “completely out of reach”, but he is “not sure Renault is that far away”.
Wolff also has his doubts, saying that Mercedes’ own measurements indicate that the Renault engine has no more than a three per cent power deficit compared to its rivals. That, he says, is too little for an exemption.
Asked if Renault should get extra development hours, the Austrian said, “We designed the regulations so that in 2026, if one of the manufacturers is not close to the three per cent to the best engine, we give them more time on the dyno. Now we’re not talking about 2026, but we’re in the middle of this regulation cycle and it’s true that the rules are frozen. “
“But Fred is absolutely right, we don’t see anything coming anywhere near the three per cent.” Wolff adds that the regulations cannot be changed “just like that” and Renault must “take it into their own hands”. He continues, “Secondly, we can’t change the regulations spontaneously just because someone doesn’t perform.
“So if you want to change it for the next cycle, fine, but I think we are in a good position with three per cent. We’re certainly not going to allow them to tinker with the engine or increase the fuel flow or anything like that.” Alpine must try to solve the problem with its own means or wait for the next control cycle, Wolff clarifies.
