Andretti F1 chances BOOSTED following major change

Michael Andretti at the Miami Grand Prix — Photo: © IMAGO

Alpine

Andretti F1 chances BOOSTED following major change

A big change is coming to an F1, and it could mean a new team moves a step closer

Originally written by Daniel Austin. This version is a translation.

Sunday 6 October 2024 05:00

Renault's announcement to axe its Formula 1 engine project, has ended a period of proud history in motorsport, but has afforded a huge opportunity to Andretti.

The French brand first entered F1 as an engine manufacturer in 1977, and has since won ten constructors’ championships and nine drivers’ titles.

Its engines have powered the Williams, Benetton and Red Bull teams to glory, as well as its own Renault team, when Fernando Alonso bested Michael Schumacher to win the championship in 2005 and 2006.

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But there will be no more titles now. The French manufacturer has made the decision to turn its Alpine squad into a customer team from 2026 onwards, when F1 will enter its new era of regulations.

The changes – which concern both the design of the cars and the power units – are among the most drastic in the history of F1. The new dawn has tempted Honda to return, partnering with Aston Martin, while Volkswagen-owned Audi is entering the championship for the first time after being impressed with the new engine regulations.

Alpine will become a customer team from 2026

Why is Renault ending its F1 engine project?

The decision was protested by members of staff at its Viry-Chatillon factory in France, but Renault has pushed with it against their will.

The company said that an "F1 monitoring unit" will be set up at its base which will "aim to maintain employees' knowledge and skills in this sport and remain at the forefront of innovation", but the focus of staff at the plant will now be on the company’s other motorsports ventures, including the World Endurance Championship.

Given the dwindling form of the Alpine (formerly Renault and Lotus) team over the past decade or so, Renault’s decision is perhaps not very surprising. After all, this is far from the first time Alpine has had sweeping changes wrought upon it by Renault during its many downturns.

Alpine are enduring a torrid 2024 season so far

Earlier this year, the team’s technical leads Matt Harman and Dirk de Beer left the team shortly after the season began, and the deficiencies in the car were made clear. In the 2020s alone, the team has had five different team principals.

Since finishing fourth in the constructors’ championship in 2020, the team have finished no higher than fifth and are currently a lowly ninth with only six races of the season remaining.

For a works outfit operated by an enormous manufacturer, that is a woeful record. A Renault-owned outfit with the resources, reputation and experience of Alpine should quite simply be operating far higher up the field. The fact they are not comes primarily down to the chaotic and incompetent management of the team by Renault over so many years.

Fans could be forgiven then, for thinking that sticking Mercedes engines in the Alpine car is simply a better bet than continuing with Renault power units, given their poor performance and the enormous cost associated with development. Making the call before a new era begins rather than just after it starts will save an awful lot of money too.

Could Renault’s withdrawal lead to a new F1 team?

Renault’s withdrawal brings into play a key question – without Renault engines, what on Earth is the ongoing purpose of the Alpine team?

Here we have Renault essentially admitting they are incapable of producing a decent F1 engine, and telling the public that their own team would be better off working with a rival automotive company instead. A works F1 team without a works engine makes precious little sense, practically or in terms of marketing.

Furthermore, the decision essentially acknowledges that the team will likely never compete for the championship again. Teams like Mercedes themselves, as well as long-standing customers McLaren, will always have a far greater understanding of the engines given they are developed in-house in the case of the former and the latter has a significantly stronger starting point. Switching to Mercedes power appears to be an acceptance of mediocrity at best.

And why would anybody want to own a mediocre Formula 1 team? Big car manufacturers enter F1 for two reasons. The first is marketing power – by having their cars associated with sporting success, they impress the public and are more likely to sell cars to them in the future.

Andretti have tried to enter Formula 1 in recent years

The second is technology – the big firms are able to research and develop concepts like electrical power and battery optimisation in motorsport, and then implement similar tech in the future road vehicles.

Renault’s decision means it is no longer reaping either of these benefits. Quite simply, there is precious little point in them continuing to operate Alpine, and a sale to another buy with greater desire and competence would now make a lot of sense.

That is far from straightforward of course. Some of the team’s shares are tied up with different investors, a sale at this point would leave any new owner on the backfoot ahead of the new era in 2026, and the cost would be enormous.

But despite some remaining obstacles, the Renault withdrawal makes a possible sale significantly more appealing, more straightforward, and more likely in one fell swoop.

The likes of Andretti and anybody else harbouring ambitions to enter F1 should deem the withdrawal of an icon from the championship’s past as a chance to embed themselves in its future.

Formula 1 Fernando Alonso Alpine Michael Schumacher Renault