F1 Rumor: Gasly tries to play down Renault engine axe rumors

(GMM) Pierre Gasly has suddenly moved to quell raging speculation that Renault could scrap its entire power unit project for 2026.

Boss Bruno Famin instantly called the reports “rumors”, but new executive advisor Flavio Briatore then made noises suggesting every option was being considered to bring the team back to the top of Formula 1.

Related Article: F1 Rumor: Alpine to ditch lame F1 engine

Even Gasly, who has now been re-signed by Alpine for at least the next two years, suggested in Barcelona last weekend that it was “important to consider all the options and then form your own opinion on what’s best for performance”.

“The team is open about this, I trust the management’s decision and have no concerns about it,” the Frenchman added. “Yes, we would lose our status as a factory team, but the regulations are drawn up in such a way that there is clear parity between the parties, especially in terms of engines.”

But suddenly, in Austria, following a full week of speculation Renault may separate Alpine’s chassis operations at Enstone ahead of a potential team sale, Gasly is playing down the rumors.

When asked if Alpine really could buy a customer engine from 2026, he said: “I don’t understand where these rumors came from.

“I regularly – every week – talk to (Renault CEO) Luca de Meo, and it was immediately obvious to me that these were just rumors. He has always been and remains 100 percent committed to the Alpine project,” said the 28-year-old.

“I looked very closely at the plans for 2026, because it was important for my next contract for when the new regulations come into force,” Gasly added. “And for me it was never a question because I know how committed Renault and Alpine are to the project and how much they invest in the team.

“I believe in the guys at Enstone and in Viry,” he insisted.