Renault CEO is ready to give Toto Wolff total ‘operational control’ of Alpine for the right price

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Alpine could give up ‘control’ of their Formula 1 team to Mercedes under a proposed investment deal. The scale of Toto Wolff’s plans may be far larger than it first appeared.

It emerged earlier this week that Wolff and Mercedes are eyeing a 24% stake in Alpine, currently held by star-studded consortium Otro Capital. Former Red Bull boss Christian Horner has also held negotiations over those shares.

Mercedes already supply engines to Alpine after agreeing a deal that runs from 2026 to 2030. As it stands, only Red Bull, who own Racing Bulls, control more than one F1 team.

Who is the best person to run Alpine in Formula 1: Christian Horner, Toto Wolff or Flavio Briatore?

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Francois Provost could hand Mercedes control of Alpine

Journalist Pedro Fermin Flores relays ‘leaked information from the paddock’ that this is a coordinated effort from Wolff, Mercedes-Benz and fellow shareholder Jim Ratcliffe.

Ratcliffe acquired a 25% stake in Premier League football team Manchester United in late 2023 and has effectively been running the club since. The Mercedes ownership could repeat that arrangement with Alpine.

Among F1 insiders, ‘it is widely assumed’ that Renault CEO Francois Provost would give up ‘operational and financial control’ of Alpine for the right price. He just wants to maintain a ‘minimal brand presence’, likely through the team name and colours.

• READ MORE: Toto Wolff’s Alpine investment talks could further jeopardise McLaren’s relationship with Mercedes

When Flavio Briatore closed down Alpine F1’s engine department and negotiated a Mercedes engine deal, many experts saw it as a prelude to a sale, even if Renault have tried to shut down the rumours.

‘Sources close to the deal’ say the Alpine team is worth €3bn, or £2.6bn, which would value a 24% stake at €720m (£624m).

Mercedes could double their vote in F1 rule debates through Alpine takeover

It was reported last year that Wolff planned to loan Kimi Antonelli to Alpine for two years if he signed Max Verstappen. In light of recent developments, that story is even more intriguing.

One wonders if the Mercedes/Alpine union has secretly been in the works for a long time, but this is pure speculation.

As Flores explains, though, the Silver Arrows would have a ‘guaranteed’ seat available for their academy drivers if they secured a foothold in Alpine. They previously loaned George Russell to engine customers Williams for three years.

What’s more, it would extend their ‘political influence’, effectively giving them an extra vote on the F1 Commission. Teams will occasionally vote in power unit blocs anyway, but the suppliers can’t always count on this support.

The deal would also further Mercedes’ ‘technical development’, even if data-sharing is restricted under the regulations. Every competitor must operate as a separate entity, but many critics view Racing Bulls as the Red Bull ‘B team’.