Mercedes open to supplying engines to Alpine from 2026

Mercedes has expressed openness to supplying Formula One power units to the Renault-owned Alpine team starting in 2026, should the French manufacturer opt out of making its own engines, according to team boss Toto Wolff. The announcement comes as Renault considers its future as an engine manufacturer with significant investment required for the new era set to begin in 2026.

Alpine's future in question

Renault, currently the sole provider of engines for Alpine, is evaluating whether to continue its engine program amidst speculation that Alpine may become a customer of Mercedes. Speaking at the British Grand Prix, Wolff acknowledged the complexities of the situation.

Wolff explained that Mercedes is keen on the idea of replacing Aston Martin, which will be Honda-powered from 2026, with another team: "We like the thought of replacing Aston Martin with another team because of the sheer learning you're doing," said Wolff.

He's confident that more power units would benefit Mercedes' development: "We're set up as an organisation that the more power units the better it is in terms of accelerating some of the developments or the reliability."

However, he stressed that discussions are still at a preliminary stage: "It didn't go beyond the point of exchanging opinions or having exploratory discussions. I think Alpine will take a decision soon on whether they want to continue with their Formula One engine programme or not."

Wolff emphasized the need for Alpine to make a strategic decision first before any agreements could be explored: "Only when they have taken that strategic decision we would dive into our agreements. But we are open-minded and that's what we have told them."

Alpine, the only team using Renault engines, is currently under-performing. They are ranked eighth in the standings with just nine points.

McLaren boss Zak Brown supported the move, suggesting that it would benefit both Mercedes High Performance Powertrains (HPP) and McLaren: "What was good for Mercedes High Performance Powertrains (HPP) was also good for his team but felt a decision would need to be taken before the August break."

Similarly, Williams boss James Vowles highlighted the benefits of widespread engine usage: "The more engines being used, the more learning was being acquired to benefit all the teams using the power unit."

However, Vowles also cautioned about the tight timeline: "We have been working alongside HPP in order to get the concept right for 2026 already for many, many months. So whatever you do, you are going to be six to 12 months behind the three other teams. That's quite penalising in the grand scheme of things... there's going to be areas where you're going to be compromising on. There's a tremendous amount of work getting '26 right and the smallest decision on layout can actually have quite a large impact."

As the 2026 season approaches, the decisions made now will likely have long-term ramifications for all parties involved. Mercedes’ willingness to supply engines to Alpine marks a significant development in the Formula One landscape, pending Alpine’s crucial decision on its engine program.

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