- Alpine F1 team will make switch to Mercedes-Benz AMG power units in 2026
- Agreement lasts until at least 2030
- Former supplier Renault is ending F1 power unit program to focus on EV technology
The Alpine Formula 1 team on Tuesday announced plans to switch to power units and gearboxes from Mercedes-Benz AMG starting in 2026, when F1 is due to introduce its next-generation power unit design.
The Alpine team was born out of the former Renault F1 team, and currently uses a power unit supplied by Renault. Renault is also Alpine’s parent company.
However, Renault in October said it will end its F1 power unit program after 2025 to redirect resources to electric vehicle technology, leaving Alpine to seek a new supplier.
Alpine in its latest statement said it will use Mercedes power units and gearboxes from 2026 until at least 2030.
Mercedes-Benz AMG High Performance Powertrains
The change is the latest at Alpine which has been undergoing a major shakeup this year, which included the return of former Renault F1 team boss Flavio Briatore as an executive adviser in June. Briatore has since appointed Oliver Oakes as team principal and announced plans to reduce the workforce at the U.K.-based team, including cutting current driver Esteban Ocon, who joins American team Haas next year. His replacement at Alpine has been named as Jack Doohan.
Mercedes power units are developed and manufactured by the U.K.-based Mercedes-Benz AMG High Performance Powertrains division. In addition to Mercedes’ own F1 team, Aston Martin, McLaren, and Williams all use Mercedes power units, though Aston Martin in May said it will swap to Honda power units in 2026.
For F1’s new power units arriving in 2026, 100% sustainable fuel, possibly even a synthetic e-fuel, will be introduced. The power units themselves will stick with the current turbocharged 1.6-liter V-6 hybrid format, but will be made simpler due to the elimination of the MGU-H, the electric motor-generator that recovers exhaust energy via the turbocharger. The MGU-K unit, which helps drive the wheels and recovers energy under braking, will remain and deploy almost three times as much electrical power as present.
The current Renault F1 power unit program is based at Renault’s Viry-Châtillon site located south of Paris. Once the program has ended, the Viry-Châtillon site will be rebranded Hypercar Alpine, and become a new research and development hub for Renault and Alpine EVs, and one of the first projects will be to develop an electric supercar for Alpine. A small contingent of staff at the site will still focus on developments in F1 to help foster innovation and maintain knowledge and skills, Renault announced in October.
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