Alpine confirm Mercedes F1 engine deal from 2026 season

• Contract also includes supply of Mercedes gearboxes
• Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo claimed Alpine F1 project ‘would collapse’ without decision
• Mercedes supplied Enstone-based team for one season in 2015 when it competed under Lotus branding

The Alpine Formula One team have confirmed their long-rumoured engine supply deal with Mercedes from the 2026 season.

Mercedes will supply the Enstone-based outfit with power units until the 2030 season and the agreement also includes a supply of Mercedes gearboxes from the 2026 season.

It was reported earlier this year that Alpine was looking to ditch its long-running Formula One engine programme due to a lack of return on investment.

The team’s parent company Renault Group then took the decision to terminate the engine programme after the 2025 season, while the group’s chief executive Luca de Meo claimed “the project would completely collapse” without the decision.

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Engines had been designed and produced at the team’s French base in Viry-Chatillon since the team entered Formula One for the 1977 season.

This move means Mercedes will continue to supply three Formula One teams from 2026 as it loses Aston Martin to a works Honda deal, with Alpine being added to existing deals covering McLaren and Williams, both of which are also locked in until 2030.

It won’t be the first time that the Enstone-based outfit has been supplied by Mercedes engines, having agreed a one-year deal back in 2015 when the team ran under Lotus branding.

Ultimately, it is hoped this move will provide significant cost savings for a team that saw profits fall 70 per cent to UK£7.8 million (US$10.4 million) in 2023, which will likely drop further when its 2024 financial results are confirmed next year.

It also makes Alpine a more attractive proposition for a sale if Renault Group executives lose patience with the entire programme, although de Meo previously ruled this out in June.