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Flavio Briatore's decision to tear up Renault's engine programme and relaunch Alpine as a Mercedes customer team remains one of the most divisive calls in recent Formula 1 history — and the wounds, it seems, have not fully healed.
The writing had been on the wall for some time. In 2024, Alpine formally announced the closure of Renault's historic factory in Viry-Chatillon, confirming the team would no longer supply its own power units from 2026. In its place, Briatore struck a customer deal with Mercedes, with Alpine stepping in to fill the slot vacated by Aston Martin.
The fallout was immediate. The decision triggered 300 redundancies and generated significant friction between Briatore and figures within the Renault group — friction that, according to journalist Jon Noble, has not entirely dissipated.
"Alpine obviously hit rock bottom last year," Noble said on The Race F1 Podcast. "Last in the constructors' championship, didn't seem to have much of a future, things look very difficult and Flavio has shaken the tree in a way that very few people potentially would."
"To have killed the Renault engine program and said, 'No, we're going to become customers, we're going to go to Mercedes' — it earned an awful lot of criticism at the time. Some within Renault are probably still very unhappy that that happened."
For all the internal discord, the on-track signs are hard to argue with. Alpine currently sit fifth in the constructors' standings after five races, a transformation in form from the team that finished dead last in 2025. Briatore has been notably effusive about Franco Colapinto, who has delivered an increasingly impressive run of performances — as Alpine's best weekend of 2026 in Montreal demonstrated, with Colapinto sixth and Gasly eighth scoring a double-points finish.
Noble framed Briatore's thinking in characteristically blunt terms: "From Flavio's perspective, this is about winning in Formula 1. That's what he's come back to do — his mission, his only mission, is to win in Formula 1."
"Mercedes is the best power unit in Formula 1. He's got that on board. You need the best sponsors and the best budget. He's got that on board. Now it's just a question of chipping away and improving every other area of the organisation."
Noble was equally measured about expectations, however. "We can't imagine that just because you've got Gucci on board and you've got Mercedes, that suddenly Alpine is going to be fighting for wins next year. That's not going to happen. This is still a two, three-year project. But the steps are being made. The jump from last year to this year is big, and it can make another decent step into '27."
While Renault's former F1 facility sits idle, it may not remain so for long. Rumours continue to swirl around the 24% stake in Alpine held by Otro Capital, which is currently on the market. Chinese manufacturer BYD has been identified as an interested party — and as explored in our analysis of BYD's Formula 1 ambitions, the path into F1 remains steep despite the carmaker's obvious appetite for the sport. Acquiring Renault's old factory could form part of a broader takeover play.
Christian Horner and Mercedes are also said to be in the frame regarding Alpine's ownership picture, adding further intrigue to a situation that is far from resolved. What becomes of Viry-Chatillon — and indeed Alpine itself — remains very much an open question.
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.