The negotiations that will lead to Alpine becoming a Mercedes customer team as early as 2025 appear to be at a very advanced stage. In fact, both in terms of power and reliability, Renault has almost always left something to be desired. Precisely for this reason, Alpine seems to be intent on switching to Mercedes engines, with an agreement that would also include the supply of rear suspension and transmission.
Alpine with Mercedes to catch up on its opponents
Renault seems to be ai credits of his adventure in Formula 1. After all, in ten years of the hybrid era, Renault engines have almost always left its customers wanting, both in terms of power and reliability. Surely many fans will remember the long dispute between Cyril Abiteboul, at the time at Renault, Adrian Newey and Chris Horner. There Red Bull, in the end, decided to abandon the French power units, courageously opting for the Honda supply. A choice that after some time we can consider successful. The same thing happened to McLaren, which for a few years now has switched from a Renault supply to a Mercedes. Alpine, the team that has taken Renault's place in Formula 2021 since 1, is about to embark on a similar path.
Most likely the change of power unit it is a piece, certainly very important, of a broader picture of renewal. This season got off to a terrible start for the Enstone-based team, which initially saw its two cars almost always occupying the positions at the back of the grid. The slight improvement seen in recent months certainly cannot be enough. This is why the team is trying to renew itself. He was the first to pay the price Esteban Ocon, to which the team preferred Gasly. Instead, from a managerial point of view, it was welcomed Flavio Briatore in the role of executive advisor. A questionable choice, given how much the seventy-three-year-old Italian entrepreneur was guilty of during the 2008 season in Singapore, with the famous crashgate.
Alpine is pushing to have an agreement as early as 2025, also for transmission and suspension
However, it seems that Briatore himself wants to push for the use of Mercedes power units starting from 2025. Initially, the agreement was supposed to cover only 2026, with the regulation providing for power units without MGU-K and powered entirely by biofuels. Not only that, the agreement between Alpine and Mercedes will also guarantee a supply of rear suspension and transmission, with the German brand providing practically the entire rear end. A solution that Williams and Aston Martin have already opted for. In this way Alpine will be a customer team for the first time in its history. An unprecedented scenario, which unfortunately will also see a downsizing from the point of view of the workforce, with a consequent reduction in the team's staff.
An important and crucial change for the history of the French team. The attempt to bring forward the supply to 2025 is probably also aimed at being more attractive on the driver market, as well as increasing the performance of the car. In fact, it is still on the market Carlos Sainz, waiting for the right opportunity for his career to arise. Alpine is interested, but the Spanish driver, at the moment, seems to have placed his attention elsewhere. More precisely on what is happening between Mercede, Red Bull and Verstappen.
SOURCES: Motorsport.com, Passion formula.
