Alpine staff have made a last-ditch plea to save the Renault Formula 1 engine project ahead of a crucial vote on the manufacturer’s plans for the F1 2026 season.

Renault announced its intention in July to allocate its historic F1 engine factory in Viry-Chatillon to non-F1 projects, with Alpine F1 team principal Bruno Famin stepping down for his role to oversee the process.

Alpine staff issue statement ahead of crucial Renault F1 engine vote

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

It means that Alpine are set to adopt a customer engine supply from the F1 2026 season despite being under the ownership of a major car manufacturer in Renault.

Mercedes, which last powered Alpine (then Lotus) in 2015, has been strongly linked with stepping in to supply customer engines to the Enstone-based team from F1 2026.

Renault’s plans to abandon its F1 engine project has been met with fierce resistance by Renault staff, many of whom went on strike last month and some staging a protest at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, with the decision described as a “betrayal.”

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With a “consultative vote” set to take place on Monday 30 September, Renault’s plans could be set to step up within days.

Staff representatives of Alpine Racing have issued a statement confirming a delegation met with Luca De Meo, the Renault chief executive, on September 20 with the hope of forcing a change of heart.

Yet with a final decision looming, Alpine staff have warned that “the sky is getting darker by the day.”

The delegation, it is claimed, presented a proposal to Mr De Meo, ensuring “commitment to the competitiveness of the power unit on track in 2026” as well as commitment to achieving “a first-rate sporting result.”

The proposal also vowed to “leave it to our governance to decide on an alternative path once the car has been tested in 2026” and an “assurance that the F1 project will be carried out in parallel with the innovation projects proposed by management last July.”

The staff delegation also outlined the challenges facing F1 teams when the regulations are implemented in F1 2026, with the new rules set to “place greater emphasis on integrating the engine with the chassis” and therefore favouring teams that manufacture both the chassis and power unit under one roof.

It pointed to the strategic decisions of the Aston Martin (Honda), Red Bull (Ford) and Sauber (Audi F1) teams, who have struck up new relationships with major automotive manufacturers for F1 2026, as evidence that teams will require “much greater convergence” between the engine/chassis and “technological independence” for the sport’s new era.

It also cites energy management, and the management of energy between the electric motor, battery and combustion engine, as a “major development area” for manufacturers from F1 2026.

The statement concludes: “The finishing line is approaching and after the consultative vote on Monday 30 September, Alpine Racing France’s transformation plan could be implemented.

“The consequences of this abandonment would be numerous, including the loss of the attractiveness of the Viry-Chatillon site, the flight of skills and talent, and also the loss of a worldwide reputation and our French heritage.

“Our passion and determination are still intact, let’s preserve the DNA of our F1, support us.”

Despite winning races with Red Bull and Alpine, Renault have largely struggled since the V6-hybrid regulations were introduced in 2014 with the current engine thought to be the least powerful on the grid.

However, German publication Auto Motor und Sport revealed in August that the firm’s F1 2026 engine, dubbed the RE26A, had delivered “promising” results in its first run on the test bench, which took place on June 24.

The F1 2026 power unit was estimated to have reduced in size by 12 per cent compared to the current engine and thought to be below the minimum weight limit, with “no critical problems” discovered in terms of reliability.

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