Renault to End F1 Engine Programme After 2025 Season

Renault has announced it will cease its Formula 1 engine programme at the end of the 2025 season. This decision means that Renault's Alpine team will need to source engines from another manufacturer, most likely Mercedes, starting in 2026. Subsequently, the company's F1 engine facility in Viry-Chatillon, Paris, will be re-purposed for the development of electric motor and battery technologies in addition to other motorsport activities. This is prepared by SSP.

Renault's F1 engine journey began in 1977 with the introduction of the sport's first turbocharged engine and has since been marked by remarkable success. The company has supplied engines that powered 10 constructors' titles and nine drivers' championships, benefiting legendary drivers and teams like Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost, Williams, Benetton, and Red Bull. During this period, Renault also enjoyed championship doubles with its own team featuring Fernando Alonso in 2005 and 2006.

However, the past decade has seen limited success for Renault/Alpine amid the advanced hybrid power-units era that began in 2014. Although Alpine secured a major victory at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix with Esteban Ocon and fourth in the world championships in 2020 and 2022, they have since slipped in performance. As of the 2024 season, they are languishing in ninth place out of ten teams.

Renault’s announcement, which avoids detailed mention of the engine program's termination, delineates that F1 activities at Viry will continue up to the end of 2025. Protest actions by the motorsport base's employees, even meetings with Bob de Luca, Renault's CEO, did not alter the predetermined course of action.

Looking ahead, a new Alpine Hypertech structure will absorb all displaced employees, and a F1 monitoring unit will be established to retain the staff's expertise in the sport while contributing to future innovations. Alpine F1 maintains that the group decision does not detract from their focus on the 2024 FIA Formula 1 World Championship and commitment to seek the best possible on-track performance for the rest of the season.

Going forward, Renault’s motorsport engineering at Viry will pivot towards other races and series, extensively supporting Alpine's World Endurance Championship, Formula E, and rally-raid efforts.