Double news from Alpine: Team Principal Bruno Famin has confirmed his imminent departure from the role, and that Renault will cease to supply engines to the team starting from 2026. These announcements were made at the Team Principals' press conference in Belgium, from Famin himself.
Famin, who has led the French team since the 2023 Spa Grand Prix, will leave his post at the end of August to take responsibility for all Groupe Renault motorsport activities at Viry-Chatillon. A new Team Principal will be announced in due course, according to the team.
Famin confirms the farewell: “Briatore? No problem with him."
The rumors about the farewell of Famin they have been around for a while, but now it is official. The French manager said: “At the end of August I will leave the position of Team Principal to concentrate on the activities in Viry-Chatillon.” He also underlined that there are no personal problems with Flavio Briatore, a historic figure of the team who recently returned.
The end of an era: stop Renault engines from 2026
During the press conference, Famin revealed the transformation plans of the Alpine brand. “We presented a brand transformation project. It plans to reallocate resources from the development of the F1 Power Unit to the development of new technologies for the brand,” he said. Starting from 2026, the team will no longer produce its own engines, but will purchase them from an external supplier.
Famin specified that nothing has yet been definitively decided: “In France there are very strict social procedures to respect. We can't make anything official until we do that.” At the moment the next engine supplier for Alpine is not yet known, even if persistent rumors speak of a possible agreement with Mercedes. However, Famin urged caution, underlining that it will be necessary to wait a couple of weeks for the official announcement, if not more.
With the departure of Famin and the move to a new engine supplier, Alpine is preparing for a significant change of direction. The team's strategy is clearly oriented towards strengthening the brand through the development of new technologies, shifting focus from the current Power Unit configuration.
