Alpine staff to protest engine production closure at Italian Grand Prix

Monza, Italy – In a significant show of solidarity, approximately 100 employees from Alpine's Formula One engine programme will attend Friday practice at the Italian Grand Prix to protest the company's controversial decision to shutter its F1 power unit project by 2026.

The Renault-owned Alpine F1 team currently utilizes custom-built engines produced in Viry-Châtillon, France. However, in a strategic shift announced in July, Alpine revealed plans to end its in-house engine production at the close of the 2025 season, transitioning to a customer engine deal starting in 2026. Persistent discussions with Mercedes aim to secure a new engine partnership.

A crucial decision regarding the fate of the Viry-Châtillon facility is anticipated on September 30. Ahead of this, the protesting employees will make their presence felt at Monza, displaying banners that convey a "clear and non-aggressive message, advocating for the retention of a French engine in F1."

The employees will don white t-shirts emblazoned with the Alpine logo and black armbands as symbols of their protest. In an organized statement, Alpine Racing's Works Council, which orchestrates the protest, mentioned that trackside employees within the team’s garage would also wear the black armbands "if possible." They assured, “no action will prevent track operations from taking place.”

Simultaneously, the majority of employees stationed at Viry-Châtillon plan to initiate a strike in a gesture of solidarity. The Works Council articulated its disapproval emphatically:

"We do not understand what justifies killing this elite F1 entity that is the Viry-Châtillon site and betraying its legacy and DNA by implanting a Mercedes heart or any other into our Alpine F1," the statement read. "The announcement of the end of the development and production of French engines for Formula One is incomprehensible. We cannot conceive that Alpine and the Renault Group would betray their purpose and damage their image."

In response, Alpine Racing issued a measured statement, acknowledging the planned protests and reassuring that team operations would remain unaffected:

"We are aware of some activities planned this weekend from staff of Viry," it stated. "We understand from their communication these will be peaceful protests and will not impact team operations. The transformation project is still being evaluated and no decision has been taken yet by Alpine's management. The dialogue, which opened since the project was presented to the Viry employee representatives in July, is important to Alpine's management and will be pursued in the upcoming weeks."

As the protest looms, all eyes will be on Monza this Friday to witness the unfolding events, indicative of the high tensions surrounding this pivotal decision by Alpine's management.

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