The ‘whispers’ surrounding the Mercedes 2026 engine that justify Alpine’s power unit call

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Alpine have officially confirmed they have entered a technical partnership with Mercedes as the Enstone outfit move away from being a factory team.

The deal will see Alpine will run Mercedes power units from 2026 until at least the 2030 season. Renault will continue to develop engines for the team until the end of the 2025 season.

Renault had already confirmed that they were shutting down their factory in Viry Chatillon and would be focusing their attention on other projects in motorsport.

The consensus is that Renault have the slowest power unit currently in F1, which can be clearly seen by Alpine’s dramatic drop in performance in 2024. The team were second bottom in the Constructors’ Championship after 20 Grand Prix, having collected just 16 points in that time.

Alpine shot up to sixth at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix after an incredible double podium, with Esteban Ocon finishing second and Pierre Gasly third. The Enstone outfit are three points ahead of Haas and five ahead of RB with three races to go.

Mercedes’ 2026 engine will be ‘very competitive’ according to ‘whispers’ around the paddock

Sao Paulo could well be a one-off result for Alpine this season and indeed in 2025, with there being some debate as to whether the team have made the right call by partnering with Mercedes. According to the ‘whispers’ Nate Saunders has heard, they might have.

READ MORE: Everything we know about Alpine’s Mercedes power unit deal after scrapping their works engine division

The deal as been met with disapproval from Alpine staff, with several protests being staged after the news that Renault would shut their Viry factory down. Flavio Briatore has ‘encountered resistance’ from the Enstone factory as some staff are not on board with the decision.

The idea seems to be to cut costs and hopefully be competitive with Mercedes engines. According to Saunders via ESPN’s Unlapped podcast, that is precisely what many are expecting the German manufacturers’ units are going to be, giving a much-needed boost to Alpine.

“They’ve [Alpine] really been coming through some tough times and that podium came at the perfect moment because, a lot of doom and gloom around the team, there has been for a long, long time,” he said.

“Longer term, I don’t know if there is that much optimism, but I think they’re turning a corner now. It’s going to be a long road back to being competitive, but that’s what that’s about.

“That’s what going to Mercedes is about, and all the whispers I’ve heard is, everybody thinks Mercedes are at least going to be very competitive under this new engine formula in 2026, so not a bad thing to put that in your car and if you do have the best engine, good chance that you’re able to at least challenge for podiums.”

Could Alpine’s Mercedes deal lead to a possible sale?

Alpine’s transition to a customer team has put their future in some doubt, leaving many to speculate that the team could sold to new investors or another entry.

Renault CEO Luca de Meo has repeatedly stressed that the team is not for sale, but they will be the most lucrative option for an aspiring team to take over from come 2026.

The new Concorde Agreement could make Alpine more valuable with their Mercedes deal and that it will make it more challenging for newcomers to enter as a separate entity. Therefore, taking over the Enstone outfit may be the best option instead of trying to become an 11th team on the grid.

Andretti could be interested in a deal, with FOM knocking back their bid to join the sport for 2025 and 2026. Alpine could become Hitech-Mercedes if their team principal Oliver Oakes, who founded the junior formulae team, can organise a deal.