Alpine is reportedly on the verge of ditching its Renault F1 engine program and forging a technical alliance with Mercedes that could begin as soon as next year.
According to a report from Motorsport.com, talks are at an advanced stage for a deal where Mercedes would supply Alpine with its power unit, gearboxes, and suspensions.
The potential partnership would mark the end of Alpine's works status in F1 and thrust the French outfit into the Mercedes customer team category alongside McLaren and Williams.
Whispers of a potential deal intensified during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, with Alpine executive advisor Flavio Briatore spotted engaging in frequent visits to the Mercedes motorhome.
This fueled speculation that Briatore and Alpine team principal Bruno Famin were seriously considering a switch, a decision likely influenced by the consistent performance gap between Alpine's Renault engine and those of their rivals.
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The introduction of new engine regulations in 2026 presents an opportunity for Alpine to reassess their strategy.
Ditching its costly in-house engine programme, which has struggled to keep pace since the advent of the hybrid era in F1 2014, and aligning with a proven powerhouse like Mercedes seems increasingly attractive for the Renault brand.
While integrating a new engine into their 2025 car design at such relatively short notice poses inevitable logistical challenges, the potential performance boost from a Mercedes power unit is undeniable.
Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff and Alpine advisor Flavio Briatore .
However, the timing of any deal hinges on Renault's plans for its Viry-Chatillon engine facility. Redeployment of its F1 workforce there would be crucial if a switch were to happen before 2026.
Both teams have remained tight-lipped on the matter, but recent comments from Mercedes boss Toto Wolff hint at their openness to such a partnership.
"That’s a complicated situation because we like the thought of replacing Aston Martin with another team, because of the sheer learning you're doing," said the Austrian, speaking during the recent British Grand Prix weekend.
"I think we're set up as an organisation that the more power units, the better it is in terms of accelerating some of the developments or the reliability.
"It didn't go beyond the point of exchanging opinions or having exploratory discussions.
"Alpine [need to] take a decision, do they want to continue with their Formula 1 engine programme or not?
"And only when they have taken that strategic decision, we would dive into our agreements. But we're open-minded, and that's what we have told them."
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