Whispers of Mercedes potentially supplying engines to Alpine have certainly captured our attention. And now, amid fluctuating performances from the Enstone squad and upcoming regulatory changes, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has addressed these rumors that could see a big change come to the French manufacturer.
At the heart of the speculation are Alpine’s ongoing frustrations with their current engine performance as they reportedly entertain the idea of altering their approach by 2026. Wolff commented during the Sky Sports F1 broadcast, as quoted by Crash.net:
“Alpine, at the moment, is exploring all sorts of avenues. Their management is clearly not happy with their performances. But you know how it is in Formula 1 – it swings. Three races ago, Alpine had all the reasons to explore opportunities. But look at Barcelona and [Austria] and they look much better. So maybe overall it isn’t just the engine.”
Being a fan of the sport, it’s no secret that a team’s fortune can oscillate dramatically between not only seasons, but sometimes even the weekends themselves. Alpine, evolving from its previous Renault branding, has notably struggled with their engine’s output since the introduction of the hybrid regulations in 2014. Considering a shift to become a customer team, Alpine could relinquish its ‘works’ status and release much of its responsibility.
Historical parallels arise with McLaren’s shift under Ron Dennis, who firmly believed that customer teams couldn’t clinch a world championship, leading to their initial shift from Mercedes to Honda engines in 2015. Under current leadership by Zak Brown, however, McLaren has returned to Mercedes engines, showing marked improvements and consistently strong performances. This is an example of success that Alpine would be happy to follow.
As for Mercedes, the team is eyeing the 2026 season with optimism. With new engine regulations on the horizon and a solid history of strong powertrains, Mercedes hopes to reassert their dominance. Add to this the effort they are yielding to attract big names such as Max Verstappen, and they could be on to something rather big.
Wolff critically assessed the upcoming 2026 regulations, expressing concern:
“The regulations, as they stand, don’t look particularly great. But it’s a work in progress. I very much hope those responsible on the FIA side listen to the teams, and we work collaboratively to come up with regulations to make it an exciting sport. That is most important. They are stakeholders, and also the fans out there.”
This calls for a collaborative effort from every team in the paddock, with this being a shared responsibility among the teams, regulators, and stakeholders of the sport. After all, their value is held in the popularity of this sport.
