According to Flavio Briatore, the switch to Mercedes power units was an absolute condition for his return to Alpine. The team has shut down its own engine programme in Viry-Châtillon
to become a customer of the Silver Arrows. The decision reduces costs and also opens up more opportunities for a competitive 2026. After years of trailing the top teams in Formula 1, this could be a crucial step for the French outfit.
The choice to relieve the engine factory in France of Formula 1 duties was originally taken in mid‑2024 by former Renault CEO Luca de Meo. The decision naturally drew criticism and protest from employees. Alpine senior adviser Flavio Briatore has since admitted that his return to the team was contingent on a switch to Mercedes power units.
‘Only wanted to speak with the very best’
“When Luca de Meo talked about a return to the team, there was for me only one condition: a Mercedes power unit,” he told the media during the season launch in Barcelona. “There was no plan B, there was only one plan — I wanted, per se, a Mercedes power unit. Right now you simply have to work with the best people. And the collaboration with Mercedes is, for the moment, very promising; it surprised me somewhat, we have a fantastic working relationship. That’s exactly what we need. In any case, I only wanted to open talks with the best. The second-best? No interest.”
According to Briatore, the collaboration with Mercedes means Alpine — which has struggled for competitiveness in recent years — has no more excuses. Last year the team quickly shifted its focus to 2026 and settled for last place in the constructors’ championship. That 2026-first approach, Briatore says, has given the team plenty of confidence for the upcoming season. “If we had carried on developing for 2025, we might have finished ninth,” he said indifferently. “We simply put everything into 2026. When I next line up on the grid, at least I won’t have to wonder how many tenths down we are. Either way, nobody will be talking about the engine or the gearbox anymore. Those are at least two problems we no longer have to worry about.”
