Alpine chief makes blunt declaration on team’s Mercedes 2026 switch

Alpine's executive advisor, Flavio Briatore said that switching to the Mercedes engine for the 2026 season onwards was the need of the hour, as homegrown power units weren't yielding desired results. The Italian businessman marked a return to the motorsport world this year after Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo roped him into an advisor role.

The French outfit finished P6 in the constructors championship this year after a double podium finish in Brazil turned their season around. Prior to Sao Paulo's heroics, the team made notable managerial changes. Team principal Bruno Famin was replaced by Oli Oakes, and Flavio Briatore returned in an executive advisor role.

Briatore's first thing of business sent waves in the F1 community. Alpine decided to shut down its homegrown engine program with Renault to partner with Mercedes from the 2026 season onwards. 2026 is the year when engine regulations will be overhauled, and hence the French outfit chose to become a customer team.

Flavio Briatore recently spoke to Auto Motor und Sport and opined that Alpine's engines were a cost that didn't yield any results. Moreover, to win, the French team needed the best possible parts, and their power unit wasn't one of them (via autoracer):

"The first step was to eliminate our engine. We are saying goodbye to something that was just a cost without bringing us anything. In 2026, Mercedes will provide us with the best engine and the best gearbox that exist in this sector. If you want to win, 80-90% of your components must be the best. With the Mercedes engine we have the basis to win," Briatore said.

Besides being a customer team, Alpine also made significant changes to their drivers lineup for the upcoming season. Esteban Ocon left for the Haas F1 team, and reserve driver Jack Doohan has been handed a promotion. Doohan finished 2nd in the F2 championship last year and has been a key part of Alpine's junior development program for many years.

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Briatore sees Alpine winning in 2027 with a Mercedes engine

Flavio Briatore (Image Source: Getty)

Flavio Briatore has laid high expectations on their power unit deal with Mercedes. In the same interview, he mentioned that from 2027, he expects Alpine to win and secure consistent podiums as they perform with robust engines and gearboxes (via the aforementioned source):

“You didn’t have to be a genius to understand that Alpine had hit rock bottom. With Alpine we are in a better position than we were then with Renault. In 2002 the team was in total disarray," Briatore said.

He recalled how difficult it was to manage things at Alpine in 2002. However, with Renault, the French outfit seems to be in a better position. Now, as the Mercedes customer team, Briatore said Alpine should aim for podiums in 2026 and then go on to win championships from 2027 onwards.

"Next year Alpine must always be in the top six , maybe even fighting for some podiums. In 2026 we want to compete for the podium in half of the races, while in 2027 we must be able to fight for the title," he added.

Alpine managed to grab 65 points in the 2024 F1 season and finished P6 in the constructors' championships. Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon grabbed dual podiums in an eventful race in Brazil.