Brand new Formula 1 team could now replace Alpine on the 2026 grid

Follow us on Google Discover

Alpine remain in a state of upheaval, a year on from the shock firing of team principal Otmar Szafnauer and sporting director Alan Permane. The exodus has only continued since.

Several other high-profile figures have moved on, voluntarily or otherwise, in the past 12 months or so. Team principal Bruno Famin remains part of the company, but he’ll no longer head up the F1 team when the season resumes.

Alpine have been one of the biggest underachievers in the sport this year. While Esteban Ocon’s ninth-place finish at Spa last weekend sent them into the summer break on a relative high, they’re still on course for by far their poorest campaign since the 2021 rebrand.

Their haul of 11 points leaves them eighth in the championship, only above Williams and Sauber. On current form, they have little chance of catching Haas (27) ahead.

Renault CEO Luca de Meo appointed Flavio Briatore as a special advisor in June and it now seems that the team are going in a different direction. They confirmed in Belgium that they were looking into an external engine supply deal, forfeiting their works team status.

There were already reports that Alpine had agreed a deal in principle with Mercedes. This is likely to take effect for 2026, rather than next year.

Michael Schmidt says Hitech could replace Alpine on 2026 grid

Speaking on the Formel Schmidt podcast, however, journalist Michael Schmidt suggested that Alpine wouldn’t be on the grid at all for the start of F1’s new era. In his view, they’re ‘slowly withdrawing’ from the sport, starting with their engine operation at Viry.

He thinks it’s significant that Oliver Oakes is set to replace Bruno Famin as team boss. Oakes currently heads up the Hitech GP team, which competes in Formula 2 and Formula 3 among other series.

Last year, Hitech registered their interest in joining the F1 grid, but their application did not reach the final stage. Schmidt suspects that Oakes’ prospective move to Alpine could offer them an avenue to enter F1 as early as 2026.

“The fact that it’s Oliver Oakes suggests that Alpine is slowly withdrawing,” Schmidt said. “In my opinion, they will be sold to Hitech and they’ll be on the road as a private vehicle in 2026.”

Oliver Oakes may bring Paul Aron to Alpine

These developments may be a cause for concern for Pierre Gasly. Gasly recently signed a new multi-year deal to commit to Alpine, but the future could look very different to what he anticipated.

The team came to a mutual decision to part ways with Esteban Ocon, who’s now joined Haas for 2025. They have still yet to fill that vacancy.

Up to this point, reserve Jack Doohan has looked like the favourite, especially now that Carlos Sainz has committed to Williams. But Oakes’ arrival could change the landscape.

The Briton could look to bring Paul Aron, who’s competing for the F2 title at Hitech, with him to Enstone. It remains to be seen how much of an influence he would wield over driver selection.

This would also be a blow to Mick Schumacher. The feeling is that Famin’s move has hurt Schumacher’s chances of making an F1 comeback with Alpine.