'Smart decision by Briatore and Alpine to choose Mercedes'
F1 News
Alpine have recently announced that from the 2026, they will compete with a Mercedes engine. That is after it was confirmed that they will no longer develop their own power unit. Many criticesd the French team for this decision, however, Ralf Schumacher understands why Alpine made that choice.
Renault employees were clearly not happy when it was announced that the team will not continue with their own engine after the 2025 season concludes. For example, workers from Viry-Châtillon also protested earlier at this year's Italian GP. Many say this decision will have an effect on the brand as well.
Schumacher is of a different opinion, the German analyst and former driver told Formel1.de: "I think it is the right decision. Considering that Renault/Alpine would have had to spend a lot of money again to develop an engine. Batteries and electronics are getting more complicated again [from '26]. From what we hear, the factory is very outdated and would need to invest a lot of money, which is not there."
From Renault to Mercedes
Renault's power units are widely regarded as the weakest of the current grid. Renault have no customer teams at the moment either. Flavio Briatore has also been working as an executive advisor for CEO Luca de Meo at Alpine, and the Italian also favoured the decision to buy engines from Mercedes.
"I think it makes the most sense to buy an engine that is apparently the best at the moment. [...] Because in the end, as you see now with Aston Martin, it's about the car. And Renault doesn't have strong engines anymore. That's how you have to look at it. I think it's a smart decision by Flavio [Briatore] to choose a partner like Mercedes," Schumacher said. Aston Martin will switch to Honda power united from 2026, leaving place open at Mercedes. Alpine have now opted to fill that gap.
This article was written in collaboration with Corwin Kunst
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