Viry-Châtillon in shock: Alpine’s F1 engine U-turn sparks outrage

Renault’s decision to transform Alpine into a customer engine team has sent shockwaves through the heart of the French manufacturer’s motorsport operations and its Viry-Châtillon engine factory.

The announcement, made public amid a management reshuffle that will see Bruno Famin soon step down as Alpine team principal, has left employees reeling.

The abrupt termination of Renault’s in-house F1 engine project for 2026, despite significant investment and promising initial results, has been met with anger and disbelief.

Speaking to French daily L’Equipe, union representative Karine Dubreucq described the move as a "stab in the back".

The factory, which has played a pivotal role in Renault's 12 Formula 1 constructors' titles, now faces an uncertain future.

“We didn’t see it coming. It’s a stab in the back, a betrayal,” commented Debreucq.

“We developed engines here that were capable of becoming F1 champions twelve times over, and now we can’t? They didn’t even wait for the first run on the test bench.”

• Read also: Famin explains why making F1 engines no longer makes sense

The decision to abandon the engine project comes at a time when Formula 1 is on the cusp of a new era with the introduction of the 2026 regulations.

These new rules, which promise closer competition and a greater emphasis on sustainability, had presented an opportunity for Renault to reassert itself as a leading power unit manufacturer.

However, the French carmaker has opted for a different path.

Famin, who led Renault’s engine department for several years, acknowledged the human cost of the decision.

"It has nothing to do with being an engine guy or not," he told F1’s Beyond the Grid podcast. "It has to do with human beings."

Famin described the task of informing the 250-strong workforce of the project's cancellation as "very difficult."

“People who are working hard on a project, engine, gearbox or anything else, fully dedicated for years to their passion, but to who we are saying that it won’t last anymore,” he said.

“And of course, it is very difficult, especially while the 2026 project was delivering quite well.

“A lot of investment from the people and the first result we had was good. We had chosen to take some very, let’s say aggressive technical option and the first result was saying that it was right to do that.”

Renault is now facing the prospect of losing not only a group of brilliant engineers to rival manufacturers, but also the risk of seeing valuable intellectual property being carried out the door.

Famin is hoping they can be persuaded to stay on in Viry to work on other projects.

“That could be the huge challenge,” he admitted. “The IP of course, is one thing but the real asset is the people. The people, their skills. The real asset is the people, the staff.

“Of course, they have been promised a job but for people living their passion of working for their passion, it’s not enough.”

“In Viry we are not doing only Formula One, we are also doing all motorsport programs,” he added.

“The Alpine program, all the development of the software, the systems the whole project is being monitored from Viry.

“We are doing Formula E as well where we developed all the FIA manufacturer for the Formula E which is being used by your Nissan and McLaren in Formula E.

“There are a lot of activities even if Formula 1 is the most part of the activities of course. And now we will have to create new activities more on the very high-level engineering side to get the best use of the skills of the people if they are happy to stay.”

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter