Luca de Meo shares what options are ‘on the table’ for Alpine’s 2026 engines amid Renault uncertainty

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Alpine’s decision to move away from making their own Formula 1 engines has been met with protests and disbelief among employees.

But, they are moving ahead with their plans and need to decide which power unit the mount to their chassis from 2026 onwards.

The sooner they can put these plans in place, the bigger their opportunity to get ahead of the curve and make development inroads on their rivals such as McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes.

Fans shouldn’t expect them to compete for victories, but their own lofty expectations outline that they hope to be in the fight for points every weekend.

Luca de Meo shares which options are ‘on the table’ for Alpine engine switch

Alpine are nearing the stage of the year where they begin putting their car together for the year after 2025 – otherwise known as the start of the new technical regulations.

Pierre Gasly is locked in as one of their drivers for 2026, while Jack Doohan has to prove himself worthy of an extension in his rookie season next year.

CEO of the Renault Group Luca de Meo has been discussing the team’s plans with Motorsport.com as a decision on a customer engine partnership looms.

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“We have four or five weeks to define the situation in the board,” he said. “We are analysing how to approach F1 from 2026 in order to be more competitive and we are evaluating every opportunity.

“The idea of switching to Mercedes engines is on the table, but I can assure you that there is no choice done yet.”

Would a Mercedes deal boost their performance levels?

The Mercedes Formula 1 power unit is believed to be the most friendly engine to integrate to a chassis in the sport.

That means customer teams have more creative freedom when it comes to designing their car around the engine, where other teams have to consider cooling and their overall package a lot more.

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This could help Alpine unlock further performance that may have been hidden by a Renault engine that has been historically, the worst of the power units in the sport.

Lacking both power and reliability, they probably won’t miss their own engine, but they certainly want to crack on with their next decision if they intend to compete at a high level from 2026.

The last time that the regulations were changed, Mercedes’ power unit was the best immediately and gave them a lasting advantage for many years, so it’s easy to see why they’re a tempting option now.