F1 News: F1 tries to play down loss of Renault engines

(GMM) Rival teams have played down the likely loss of Renault as a works engine manufacturer in Formula 1, but it’s telling.

The French carmaker is in the process of re-jigging the purpose of the F1 engine facility at Viry-Chatillon – and in talks with potential customer power unit suppliers for 2026 and beyond.

“I think it’s always bad news when you lose an OEM,” RB team boss Laurent Mekies said. “Obviously, one of the big targets of these new regulations for 2026 was to attract more OEMs.

“So ultimately, if it goes, it means that we’ll get plus one with Audi and minus one with Alpine. It’s not good news, but luckily it comes at a time where there are many manufacturers in Formula 1. So I would say that the sport can well afford this change.”

Alessandro Alunni Bravi, representing the newly Audi-owned Sauber team, agrees with Mekies that Renault’s apparent decision does not mean the 2026 engine framework has already failed.

“I think that the PU regulations are very attractive for new manufacturers and of course Audi is the perfect example,” he said. “So I think that is something different from the decision from Renault.

“I think as Formula 1, we need to be clear on this. Sometimes it can happen.”

And while F1 is losing Renault as an engine manufacturer, Red Bull is adding a power unit program to its existing status as a pure chassis designer.

Team boss Christian Horner says he is open to supplying Red Bull-Ford engines to customer teams in the future. “With our facilities, we can supply engines to four teams,” he said.

“In the short term we are focusing on the two Red Bull teams, but we are open to this in the future.”

The F1 world is currently waiting for Renault-Alpine’s next move in Formula 1, as speculation starts to mount that new executive advisor Flavio Briatore was really brought on board to prepare the team for sale.

Auto Bild thinks the installation of Hitech founder Oliver Oakes as the new team boss is a sign that Alpine could be acquired by investors linked with Russian billionaire Dmitry Mazepin – the father of former Haas driver Nikita.

“The new shareholder (at Hitech) since 2023 is Vladimir Kim, a billionaire from the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan,” said correspondent Ralf Bach. “He is also considered a confidant of Mazepin.

“Briatore also has connections to Russia and Azerbaijan,” he added.