Why did Alpine opt for Mercedes' power units: 'The benchmark'
F1 News
It was nothing more than a brief press release: 'Alpine will drive power units and gearboxes from Mercedes from 2026,' the French revealed during the brief, two-weekend long break. Team principal Oliver Oakes however now explained why they opted for using the German engines entering the '26 season.
The question was simple: Why should the team choose Mercedes' power units, as the successor to Renault's own engines? "I think it's quite obvious," Oakes began in the state of Nevada. "I think, first, this era of regulations, they've been the benchmark. Also, it's quite clear to see customer teams using that power unit are competitive at the front of the field. And I think also for us as a team, it's an obvious chance for us to benchmark ourselves as well."
Alpine the battle for P6 in the constructors'
To sum it up briefly, Alpine dream of competing for victories, similarly to what another Mercedes-customer team are doing at the moment. McLaren currently lead the constructors' championship. The French are currently far away from that, although there has been clear progress in recent weeks. For instance, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly finished second and third at Interlagos. It seems Alpine currently have a car that is able to fight for points. "Yes, I think you can see that. We've been in Q3 the last three weekends. I think, yes, it is a genuine [F1] car."
In the constructors' championship, thanks to their result in Brazil, Alpine now find themselves in P6, ahead of Haas and VCARB. Currently, only five points separate these three teams. Oakes hopes that they can hold onto that position during the final three weekends. "[We are] As confident as you can be. I think, as we know, Haas have been very fast all year long. And I think RB are also very close. There's only a few points in it, so we'll have to see," the team principal, who joined after the Belgian GP having replaced Bruno Famin, concluded in Las Vegas.
This article was written in collaboration with Ludo van Denderen
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