Alpine and Briatore increasingly lean toward Mercedes deal - report

Earlier, RacingNews365 reported that Renault was considering to abandon its 2026 F1 engine project. In the paddock in Hungary, it seems Alpine is actually looking to move on and partner with Mercedes from 2026. 

Several sources let RacingNews365 know that. Alpine is said to have held several talks; including with Red Bull PowerTrains, amongst others, but ultimately the French hope to move forward with Mercedes engines.

Mercedes is also positive about a collaboration and it looks like the parties are going to come out of it. That means Renault will have to put a final stop to the development of the 2026 power unit in the near future. Of course, the French have already made major investments in the development of the engine in recent years, so it would be a tough decision to actually stop the project. 

This does not necessarily mean, by the way, that many employees would suddenly be out on the street. They could be distributed to different projects within Renault's motorsports division. Thus, the employees involved in the project would remain valuable to the major automaker and could thus remain employed by Renault. 

Another option is that the technical knowledge already acquired by Renault could be bought up by another F1 team/engine supplier. In theory, even the entire engine department could be taken over by another party. 

So for now no final decision has been made by Renault, but there seems to be a growing likelihood that Alpine will race Mercedes engines in 2026. It is a fervent wish of adviser Briatore, who has proven during his previous periods in F1 that he can be successful in the king class of motorsport. 

The eventual decision to discontinue the Renault F1 engine project may be considered rigorous, but this suits the leadership style of the flamboyant Italian. 

Carlos Sainz & Mercedes engine

During the Spanish Grand Prix, Alpine also informed Carlos Sainz that they might be in action with Mercedes engines from 2026. Partly because of this, Alpine became an interesting option for the Spaniard, although Sainz has still not made a decision about his future. 

Should Alpine announce a deal with Mercedes in the near future, however, the question remains whether Sainz will actually choose Alpine. Despite the fact that the current Ferrari driver seems to be enamoured with an Alpine with a Mercedes engine, Toto Wolff also seems to have opened the door again for Sainz at his Mercedes team. 

This is by no means to say that a switch from Alpine to Mercedes engines will mean that Sainz will make the switch to Alpine. Pierre Gasly signed for Alpine before, when there was no talk of a possible switch to Mercedes engines. 

As such, the French driver does not seem to have a preference as to which power unit will be in the Alpine. Gasly was also approached by other F1 teams, but chose not to wait for Sainz's decision and extend his contract with Alpine.

Belgian Grand Prix

Sources revealed in the paddock in Hungary that Alpine and Renault will make a final decision regarding the F1 team's engine future even before the Belgian Grand Prix. 

Whilst there is a growing likelihood that they will opt for Mercedes engines, however, at the moment it is not out of the question that they will continue with the Renault project as yet. 

RacingNews365 has asked Alpine for a response, but has not received a response to date.