‘Spies’ in the paddock believe 461-point F1 team could be up for sale ‘towards the end of 2026’

Follow us on Google Discover

Formula 1 has seen a huge boom in popularity over the last ten years, with each team now an incredibly valuable asset.

Williams was sold to Dorilton Ventures in 2020 for a figure of around £153m – per The Race – but will be worth considerably more than that now.

That’s because F1 has set out its stance that ten teams is more than enough to keep the sport competitive after rejecting Andretti’s application to join the grid.

Not only that, but F1 teams want to increase the anti-dilution fund in the Concorde Agreement to highlight the increased valuation of their assets, and potentially make it more difficult for another team to enter the sport that they would have to split profits with.

This means that while being in F1 brings with it incredible marketing opportunities, a seat at the table of the pinnacle of motorsport and a level of prestige that’s difficult to replicate elsewhere, it also makes the teams an extremely profitable sellable asset.

The likes of Ferrari will never leave Formula 1 – despite having threatened to do so on many occasions during their history – as their stories are now far too intertwined with each other.

However, other team owners might sense that the peak of F1 popularity might be just around the corner.

A report from Joe Saward on his blog has shared more details about one team’s medium-term Formula 1 future and the potential timeline for when they might want to sell up.

Doubts exist over Haas’s long-term future, particularly after they announced a partnership with Toyota who seem to be a much better fit for F1 even if their first foray into the sport as a manufacturer didn’t go to plan.

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

Saward believes that Renault may also consider selling Alpine towards the end of 2026.

It would also explain why Flavio Briatore has made a sudden reappearance in the paddock this season.

Renault considering putting Alpine up for sale ‘towards the end of 2026’

Saward reports that Renault CEO Luca de Meo recently demanded that Alpine were not up for sale.

Renault’s factory have also been told that a sale isn’t on the cards, but it’s unlikely they would be promoting that idea even if it was the case.

The report goes on to suggest that Alpine aren’t for sale yet because there’s a specific date in Briatore’s contract after which the team can be sold.

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

Saward says his ‘spies’ believe this date is towards the end of the 2026 season, which would tie up with when Renault have stopped committing to building F1 power units.

It’s believed that ‘improving performance and wiping out costs’ is Briatore’s aim over the next two years before he takes a percentage of any sale.

While Saward doesn’t name a potential buyer for the Alpine team, they’re unlikely to be short of suitors.

Alpine have ‘question mark’ over future according to rival F1 team principal

In their time in F1 since becoming Alpine, the team have scored 461 points, four podiums and a single victory thanks to Esteban Ocon’s drive in Hungary in 2021.

Alpine’s debut season was impressive with Ocon and Fernando Alonso consistently scoring points before they finished fourth in the Constructors’ Championship in 2022.

However, Pierre Gasly’s arrival in 2023 coincided with a downturn in the team’s form and Gasly has been left frustrated by Alpine’s lack of progression.

Things have only got worse for Alpine this season and they currently only sit above Sauber in the Constructors’ Championship.

James Vowles believes there are question marks over Alpine’s future and Saward’s suggestion that they’ll be up for sale in 2026 suggests substantiates that feeling.