Renault, which supplies the Alpine team with engines for Formula 1, doubts the agency so much that Mercedes is already ready in the background from 2025, media write.
It has been a very long time since Renault were the ones to beat to win Formula 1. The French car manufacturer has not won the World Cup since 2006. And now the factory is considering pulling out.
In fact, the French do more than that. The Alpine team, which is owned by the Renault factory, must be so far ahead with negotiations on engine deliveries from Mercedes that the Germans can jump in already from the 2025 season.
That's what Autosport writes.
It's no secret that Alpine has had a terrible start to the 2024 season. And the team's cars are still regularly outside the points. In fact, only Sauber and Williams do worse than the French team in the constructors' standings.
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And now the Renault managers are said to have reached the point where they are seriously considering shedding the entire Formula 1 program. Rumors about Renault's withdrawal from the sport are further fueled by the fact that Audi has recently landed agreements with BP and Castrol, which respectively supply petrol and oil to Renault's Formula 1 programme.
At Alpine, former team principal Flavio Briatore, who has been pardoned after years of exclusion, is one of the biggest proponents of a customer relationship with another engine supplier.
And although no binding agreement has yet been signed, Autosport writes that the agreement Alpine can get with Mercedes is similar to the one Aston Martin already has. So engine, gearbox and the rear part of the undercarriage.
However, Aston Martin will leave Mercedes in favor of Honda in 2026. This means that apart from its own team, Mercedes will only supply engines to Williams and McLaren, if Alpine does not enter the picture.
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