F1 News: Alpine Addresses Sale Rumors As It Separates From Renault Engine Partnership

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Alpine F1


The Alpine F1 team has been the topic of recent rumors regarding a potential sale. The team’s principal, Bruno Famin, is stepping down from the role at the end of August after just one year, marking yet another significant leadership change for the struggling French team. On top of this, Alpine has also been grappling with challenges on the track, having secured a mere nine points after 13 races this season.

The upcoming departure of Renault as Alpine’s engine supplier marks another shift, transitioning Alpine from a factory-backed team to a customer team. This move has fueled speculation about the future of the team, including rumors of a potential sale. Addressing these rumors during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, Famin firmly stated, as quoted by Racing News 365:

“No, the Formula 1 project remains a key project for the Alpine brand.

“It’s thanks to Formula 1 that we want to develop the brand awareness globally.”

Pierre Gasly of France driving the (10) Alpine F1 A524 Renault on track during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Hungary at Hungaroring on July 20, 2024 in Budapest, Hungary. Alpine addresses the…
Pierre Gasly of France driving the (10) Alpine F1 A524 Renault on track during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Hungary at Hungaroring on July 20, 2024 in Budapest, Hungary. Alpine addresses the sale rumors.
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Famin also explained that the restructuring within Alpine is not indicative of diminished commitment but a strategic reallocation of resources.

“That remains, but the project is just reallocating the resources to develop the brand better, always based on the pillar of motorsport and mainly Formula 1 to develop the awareness.”

As Renault extracts itself from F1, Alpine faces critical decisions regarding its future engine supply, particularly with upcoming 2026 regulations that might see fewer engine suppliers available. This urgency is compounded by recent publications of chassis regulations. Famin continued:

“We are at a very specific crossroads where the project for developing the Alpine brand is now very concrete, very clear. We know the resources needed for developing it.

“And on the other hand, we know that for the 2026 car generation in Formula 1, it’s now that the chassis regulations have been published a few weeks ago.

“It’s now that we have to decide, because again, the guy designing the chassis needs to know which PU they are going to use.

“It’s not why before, it’s because now the question at the Alpine brand point of view is how do we use, in the best possible way for developing the brand, the resources we have.”

Alpine has not yet confirmed which team they are likely to be linking up with for an engine partnership, however, Famin has hinted at either Mercedes or Ferrari. General Motors has also been linked to the team which could pave the way for an entry for Andretti Global.