F1 News

Alpine criticised for F1 engine decision

Alpine slammed for engine decision: 'That's anti-marketing'

6 September at 12:00
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  • Matt Gretton
  • Editor-in-Chief

During his final Grand Prix weekend as Alpine's team principal, Bruno Famin confirmed that the French Formula 1 team intend to buy their power units rather than develop their own. This decision has been slammed by former F1 World Champion Nico Rosberg.

"One of the consequences of this project, if it's accepted, would be for the Alpine F1 team to buy a power unit instead of developing their own power unit. Then we will have more resources to develop the brand and the different power units to race for the Formula 1 team," Famin explained during a press conference in Belgium.

Alpine employees expressed their displeasure with this and organised a peaceful protest on Friday of the Italian Grand Prix weekend. Attempts to strike a deal with Mercedes have reportedly already been made, although these attempts have not yet been successful.

Renault has a rich history in Formula 1, with plenty of success. Red Bull Racing, for instance, became world champions four times between 2010 and 2013 with a Renault engine. They also had World Championship success with Williams, Benetton and under their own team name with Fernando Alonso in 2005 and 2006. If Alpine decides to strike a deal with another engine supplier, it would end Renault's tenure in Formula 1.

Why Rosberg slams the deal

"It is such a successful engine company. We want to have variety. Having a Mercedes in the back of the Alpine makes no sense to me. That's just completely wrong," Rosberg said during the Sky Sports broadcast on Friday.

"It won't work for the team long term anyway because they are on here for marketing and that's not going to work for marketing. Having a Mercedes engine in an Alpine is anti-marketing. [Saying] our engines are not good enough. That's anti-marketing!"