Alpine Targets 2026 Rebound with Mercedes Power Unit After Last-Place Finish

After a disastrous last-place finish in the 2025 Constructors' Championship, Alpine is betting its 2026 recovery on a historic switch to customer Mercedes power units. Abandoning its in-house Renault engines, the French outfit aims to leverage the rumored performance advantage of the German powertrain to climb back up the grid.

Why it matters:

This pivot represents a massive cultural shift for a manufacturer team, prioritizing results over engine-building heritage. With Mercedes potentially holding a technical edge under the new regulations, Alpine finally has the tools to determine if its Enstone chassis is truly capable of winning races on merit, rather than blaming power unit deficiencies.

The details:

• Historic Shift: For the first time, a Renault-owned F1 team will not use its own engines, a move that was deeply unpopular at the Viry-Chatillon division but deemed necessary for competitiveness.
• Technical Edge: Mercedes is believed to have an advantage regarding the new engine's compression ratio, offering Alpine a potential leg up on the competition if the rumors hold true.
• Roster Changes: Reserve driver Jack Doohan has left the squad, with Paul Aron and Kush Maini stepping in as test and reserve drivers. Additionally, key partner Microsoft has switched its allegiance to the Mercedes works team.
• Early Focus: The team halted development of the 2025 car early to focus on these new regulations, sacrificing last season's results for a better shot at redemption this year.

What's next:

Lead driver Pierre Gasly will expect immediate improvements after carrying the team through a lean 2025 season. With a competitive power unit now installed, Alpine has nowhere to hide; the team must prove that its chassis development can match the quality of its new engine supply.