Alpine once had access to secret engine mode to the last time they used Mercedes power units

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Alpine has finally confirmed that they will be switching to Mercedes power units for the 2026 season onwards after announcing a technical partnership.

The multi-year agreement will see them utilise Mercedes power units and gearboxes from 2026 until at least 2030.

It comes after parent company Renault shut down the engine facility in Viry Chatillon and reallocated a lot of the staff to other areas focused on their electric engine projects.

Romain Grosjean said it was “sad” that the engine division was closed, given his former team was once a powerhouse for French engineering in motorsport and was one of the most successful in the V8 era when partnered with Red Bull.

With Alpine set to partner Mercedes, it will be the second time they have used their engines during the hybrid era having used them under their Lotus guise in 2015.

A story told by former Lotus CEO Matthew Carter on Missed Apex recalls a moment when they were told to use a secret engine mode to win a podium at the 2015 Belgian Grand Prix.

Alpine told to use secret Mercedes engine mode to earn F1 podium

Grosjean was running in fourth place behind Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel in the race and was instructed to use a higher engine mode on his power unit to catch him according to Carter.

“Mercedes didn’t want Sebastian Vettel particularly to get a podium in Spa,” said Carter.

“They could see that Romain, on newer tyres, was catching. So they gave him a different engine mode to go into.”

When Grosjean activated the mode, he went eight-tenths per lap faster. This enabled him to reel in Vettel and secure an all-Mercedes podium along with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg racing for the factory team.

“Mercedes never told us what it was. They told us there was no difference whatsoever. Romain was saying to me ‘no way, that car drove differently’,” added Carter.

Alpine make ‘humiliating admission’ with Mercedes engine deal

With Alpine set to run Mercedes engines from 2026, it means they will be using a direct competitor’s power units in the car market.

While it will not be the first time that a road car company teams up with a competitor in the car market, with Aston Martin set to use Honda engines from 2026, for Alpine it is a stark admission that their product is inferior.

READ MORE: Everything we know about Alpine’s Mercedes power unit deal after scrapping their works engine division

The future of Alpine is also in the air following the transition to a customer team, with suggestions that it could be sold to another prospective entry.

Renault CEO Luca De Meo has made it clear that he does not want to sell the team, as the value will only increase in the coming years, but there has been interest from potential buyers including LKYSUNZ.