‘High-level sources’ believe Alpine have agreement to replace Renault engines as soon as 2025

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Alpine left the Hungaroring on Sunday wondering what could have gone worse for them during a miserable weekend.

The team made a critical error in qualifying, failing to send both drivers out again in Q1 before sitting and watching the times around them tumble as the session ended.

It left Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly starting on the back row of the grid before Alpine decided to change some parts on Gasly’s car that required a pit lane start.

It hardly mattered for Gasly as for the second race on the bounce he failed to take the chequered flag due to technical issues.

However, while Ocon did finish the Hungarian Grand Prix, he only beat Zhou Guanyu on track who was running a variety of tests throughout the weekend for Sauber.

With the summer break just around the corner, Alpine will be hoping for a change of fortunes at Spa, however, there are few signs to suggest that they’ll make a sudden leap forward.

Instead, Alpine are looking to the future and Flavio Briatore has been brought in to try and solve one major conundrum.

Alpine are the only team on the grid using Renault power units, but according to a report from Motorsport, that might not be the case for much longer.

Briatore has been exploring Alpine becoming a customer team, something Alpine have mentioned to Carlos Sainz during contract negotiations.

It appears as though they may be closing in on a deal that could come into force as early as next season.

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

High-level sources suggest Alpine are closing in on power unit deal with Mercedes

The report from Motorsport suggests that Briatore has been pushing Alpine to become a customer team and has been scouting out a potential deal with other teams in the paddock.

Briatore was seen talking to Christian Horner in Hungary with Red Bull set to start using their own power units from 2026.

However, he was also spotted in the Mercedes motorhome on several occasions over the weekend and while no contract has been signed yet, ‘high-level sources’ have suggested that an agreement ‘in principle’ has now been reached.

The final details still need to be worked out and Renault would have to find alternative projects for those working on future engines to move onto.

However, it’s been suggested that if the details of the deal can be resolved quickly enough, Alpine could be a Mercedes customer team by 2025.

The move is expected to mimic that of Aston Martin’s, who also use the Mercedes gearbox and suspension.

Alpine will already be working hard on next year’s car and if a deal is concluded quickly, they’ll need to amend those plans immediately to accommodate a new power unit.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Alpine’s F1 executive adviser Flavio Briatore

Alpine in need of a boost after a disappointing start to the 2024 campaign

It’s been known for some time that there are issues with the current Renault power unit Alpine are using this season.

Alpine appealed to make changes to the engine before the start of the season, however, the FIA said they weren’t allowed to alter their engine software.

Gasly and Ocon have struggled this season aside from a short period between Monaco and Austria where their car looked competitive, they’ve been backmarkers for the rest of the campaign.

However, it would be foolish to believe that a change in power units would suddenly improve their fortunes.

While Mercedes and McLaren are both having brilliant seasons, Aston Martin don’t look particularly impressive while Williams are having an even worse season than Alpine.

The hope is that Mercedes will have the best power units for 2026 which would make Alpine’s decision look much more sensible.

There are other issues that need ironing out in the French team before then though, including deciding on who will be Gasly’s teammate for next season.