F1 CEO Reacts To 2026 Regulations Concerns After Shock Renault Exit

Saajan Jogia | Aug 8, 2024

Oct 21, 2023; Austin, Texas, USA; BWT Alpine F1 driver Esteban Ocon (31) of Team France drives during the Sprint Race of the 2023 United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has stated that the upcoming 2026 sporting regulations are not the reason for the Alpine F1 team to cease its engine operations at its factory in Viry-Chatillon. Instead, he attributed parent company Renault's major decision to an internal matter.

Outgoing Alpine team principal Bruno Famin recently broke the news that Alpine was going to exit the premier class of motorsport as an engine supplier, despite the development of the 2026 engine going on in full swing.

Renault's decision to cancel its 2026 engine project followed a thorough feasibility study that concluded it would be more economically viable for Alpine to transition into a customer team. The analysis suggested that purchasing power units from an existing engine supplier on the F1 grid would be more cost-effective than investing in the development and production of its own engines.

Red Bull is accelerating the development of its in-house engine program, Red Bull Powertrains, in collaboration with Ford, while Audi is on course to take over Sauber as a works team in 2026. However, the recent decision by Alpine to exit as an engine supplier has sparked significant questions and concerns regarding the stability of the 2026 regulations.

In response, Domenicali has addressed the situation, clarifying that Alpine's decision to cancel its 2026 engine operations stems from "another condition" unrelated to the 2026 regulations. Speaking to Motorsport.com, as reported by RacingNews365.com, Domenicali sought to dispel any speculation linking Alpine's move to potential issues with the forthcoming regulatory changes. He said:

“I think that the real decision [from Renault] was related to another condition, to be very open and very honest with you.

“It's not related to the wrong regulation. It is related to a different situation that they have to deliver a result in a different timeframe."

Domenicali emphasized the importance of securing support from power unit manufacturers while drafting the new regulations, noting that this process required compromises among the various stakeholders. The F1 boss asserted that the FIA made every effort to ensure that all teams were heard and their input considered when developing the forthcoming power unit rules. He added:

“I believe that, at the moment when the regulation was defined, there was the need to make sure that the manufacturers were really interested to be part of the championship.

"They are a vital element of this equation, because with no engine we cannot run - therefore there was the need to listen.

“And it is true that, because we don't have to be to be shy or to hide behind a tree, that it was a compromise solution because of the different interests of all the different manufacturers, in fact.

“But I would say, the FIA tried to do the best to make sure that we could have something that would be okay for everyone. That is true.”