Alpine's F1 Team Will Use Mercedes Engines in 2026

Alpine is officially going forward with a plan to continue as a Formula 1 team while shuttering its engine manufacturing business. The Renault-owned program will switch to Mercedes power in 2026.

The deal comes after a year of major struggles for Alpine, normally a strong mid-field contender. Alpine currently sits sixth in the constructor's championship, but 33 of the team's 49 points came from two strategy-aided podium finishes in the same wet race at Interlagos two weeks ago. The team had otherwise scored just 16 points, good for a distant ninth in the 10-team championship.

Those struggles have been attributed in part to the now-closing Renault engine program, which only provides engines to Alpine. Mercedes engines, meanwhile, are sitting in the back of two of the four cars that have won races in 2024. Alpine can also now save money that would have gone toward developing a new engine and hybrid system for new-for-2026 powertrain regulations. For a struggling Formula 1 team, that level of cost savings can mean the difference between selling the program and continuing on.

Alpine joins McLaren, Williams, and the Mercedes factory team in committing to the German brand's engines when new regulations start in 2026. Every other team on the grid is effectively a works team or an exclusive factory partner, although Aston Martin will notably serve as both the works team of the Aston Martin road car operation and the exclusive factory partner of Honda. Since Mercedes has its own factory operation and two other customers, Alpine and Mercedes should have a more traditional customer relationship.

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