Renault's 'Betrayed' F1 Engine Staff Set To Be Offered 'High Level' Alternatives

Saajan Jogia | Aug 5, 2024

Oct 21, 2023; Austin, Texas, USA; BWT Alpine F1 driver Pierre Gasly (10) 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

Outgoing Alpine team principal Bruno Famin revealed the difficulty of announcing the end of the 2026 engine project to its 250-member staff, who worked passionately for years to make it a success. He clarified that the staff, who called out parent company Renault's "betrayal" will be given other 'high-level' opportunities within the organization to try and retain them.

Alpine has been going through waves of changes lately, starting with the hiring of controversial figure Flavio Briatore as an executive advisor, followed by the announcement of Famin's departure during the summer break to a new division in Renault. He will be replaced by the director and founder of Hitech GP, Oliver Oakes.

However, the elephant in the room was Famin's acknowledgment of Renault ceasing the development of the Formula 1 2026 power unit, which means that Alpine will no longer remain an engine supplier on the Formula 1 grid when the sport enters a new era of regulations.

Consequently, the Enstone outfit will have to partner with an existing engine supplier to power its challengers. Recent rumors suggested that Alpine was interested in buying power units from Mercedes as it considered whether or not to become a customer team in 2026.

The staff at Renault's Viry-Chatillon plant, who worked passionately behind the F1 2026 engine project, felt betrayed by the company's decision, especially when the new engine was showing positive results. Speaking about the shock announcement, as reported by PlanetF1.com, union representative Karine Dubreucq told L’Equipe:

“We didn’t see it coming. It’s a stab in the back, a betrayal.

“We developed engines here that were capable of becoming F1 champions twelve times over, and now we can’t? They didn’t even wait for the first run on the test bench.”

Famin acknowledged the human element behind the project, revealing that it was "very difficult" to inform the 250 employees about Renault's harsh decision. He explained on the Beyond the Grid podcast:

“It has nothing to do with being an engine guy or not.

“It has to do with human beings.

“People who are working hard on a project, engine, gearbox or anything else, fully dedicated for years to their passion, lucky enough to walk in their passion, but to who we are saying that it won’t last anymore.

“And of course, it is very difficult, especially while the 2026 project was delivering quite well.

“A lot of investment from the people and the first result we had was good. We had chosen to take some very, let’s say aggressive technical option, and the first result was saying that it was right to do that.”

With the risk of losing top talent who possess crucial information to other 2026 engine manufacturers, Famin hopes to persuade Renault's brightest engineers to stay in Viry and contribute to other projects, retaining their valuable IP knowledge and skills. To do so, Renault will have to create new "high-level" projects to substitute for the F1 project's complexities. He added:

“That could be the huge challenge.

“The IP of course, is one thing but the real asset is the people. The people, their skills. The real asset is the people, the staff.

“Of course they have been promised a job but for people living their passion of working for their passion, it’s not enough.”

He added:

“In Viry we are not doing only Formula One, we are also doing all motorsport programs. The Alpine program, all the development of the software, the systems the whole project is being monitored from Viry.

“We are doing Formula E as well where we developed all the FIA manufacturer for the Formula E which is being used by your Nissan and McLaren in Formula E.

“There are a lot of activities even if Formula One is the most part of the activities of course. And now we will have to create new activities more on the very high-level engineering side to get the best use of the skills of the people if they are happy to stay.”