Alpine could ‘end up’ with 117-win power unit supplier in 2026 if Renault cease production

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Rumours surrounding the future of Alpine have been swirling since the team got off to a poor start at the beginning of the 2024 Formula 1 season.

The team turned up to Bahrain with one of the slowest cars on the grid having switched car concepts over the winter, leading to several senior technical members resigning from their posts including technical director, Matt Harman, who has since found refuge at Williams.

Aside from a few intra-team squabbles between Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, Alpine’s form has picked up in recent races with the team back to regularly scoring points rather than finishing outside of the top ten.

Attention has been drawn to the future of the team’s engine operation in recent weeks, following speculation that parent company Renault be ditching it to cut operating costs and improve its competitiveness in the short term.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Alpine F1 Team from team principal to lineage

The team currently has the worst power unit on the grid due to it being down on power by around 20bhp compared to Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes. Renault currently has no customers signed up to their power unit, nor do they have any partnerships lined up for the 2026 engine regulations.

Alpine could end up as a customer team from 2026, with them rumoured to be switching to Mercedes power. But journalist Matt Coch believes it is more than likely Alpine will end up with another manufacturer when speaking on the Pit Talk podcast.

Alpine could end up with this F1 engine supplier for 2026

The idea that Alpine would team up with a direct competitor in the automotive sector for its F1 programme seems odd, however this is exactly what is happening with Aston Martin and Honda for the 2026 season.

Toyota is also reportedly seeking a tie-up with Haas, with it starting as a sponsor before moving into becoming part of the team’s car build operations.

Coch believes the future of Alpine’s engine supply is likely to depend on a key rule in F1’s power unit regulations for 2026.

“Interesting that Toto Wolf commented on this because he’s not the head of the department that makes the decision on Mercedes’ behalf. That’s Mercedes HPP, who is Huel Thomas. But I don’t think that’s gonna happen anyway,” said Coch.

“It’ll end up with Honda based on a couple of conversations that I’ve had and the obligation to supply clause within the technical regulations of 2026.”

What is the supply rule for F1’s engine regulations in 2026?

Under the F1 Sporting Regulations, the FIA can compel a power unit manufacturer with the fewest customers to supply a team that needs an engine.

Renault is signed up to the 2026 ruleset but there is no obligation to continue if they wish to forfeit their plans due to lack of investment.

Currently, Ferrari, Red Bull/Ford, and Mercedes are supplying more than one entity for the 2026 ruleset, while Honda and Audi will only supply one team.

Honda, which has 89 wins as an engine manufacturer in F1, currently supplies Red Bull through its technical partnership with Red Bull Powertrains. Since 2022 they have won a total of 28 races, however, this is set to end in 2025 as the Milton Keynes squad teams up with Ford in 2026.

As Audi is a new power unit manufacturer, they will not be required to comply with this obligation to supply initially. That leaves Honda, who are set to only supply Aston Martin from 2026 and could be told they must also supply Alpine if they decide to scrap their engine plans.