Formula 1: The major issue that Renault have failed to acknowledge
Renault have been one of the most historic teams in Formula 1 and hold a reputation similar to the likes of Williams and Ferrari. But their presence in the sport has been slowly diminishing as their team, Alpine, have been underperforming lately, and a few customer teams have dropped Renault in favor of a different engine in recent years.
Renault’s engine manufacturing has simply not met the standard that other teams have set since the hybrid era began in 2014. Williams, Red Bull, and McLaren have all found more success by switching to Mercedes, Honda, and Mercedes, respectively.
The French engine manufacturer’s pride has slowly fallen to the point where there have been calls for Alpine to be sold, but Renault insist on maintaining ownership. Despite their engine production targets having been exceeded for the 2026 regulation era, Renault are failing to acknowledge one key fact.
Teams have lost trust in Renault.
Four teams used Renault engines during the turbo hybrid era, and a failure in performance and power will result in the manufacturer providing engines to nobody on the grid from 2026 onwards, as even Alpine are likely set to switch to Mercedes. This will mark the first time in two decades that a Renault engine is not in use by any team.
Williams are a good example of finding improvement after switching away from Renault. Having been a customer team during the 2012 and 2013 seasons, Williams switched to Mercedes for the start of the turbo hybrid era. The team instantly went from one of the worst on the grid to one of the best, with two top three and four top five finishes between 2014 and 2017.
Renault have also been unable to meet the high standard of Red Bull, despite the latter winning four consecutive championships with a Renault engine in the early 2010s. Christian Horner simply wanted more in order for Red Bull to break the hybrid era Mercedes dominance and be crowned world champions once again.
Switching over to Honda in 2019 worked very well for Red Bull, as they soon built a very competitive car capable of knocking off Mercedes. The results have shown, with Max Verstappen winning three consecutive world championships and Red Bull winning two constructor titles in a row.
And now McLaren, which haven't won a constructor championship since 1998, find themselves atop the standings with Mercedes engines.
Next. Formula 1: Two teams have open seats, and there could be a third. Formula 1: Two teams have open seats, and there could be a third. dark
Though Renault insist on maintaining ownership of Alpine, it would not be entirely out of the question for the team to be sold, as the team’s engines are being discontinued entirely. If Alpine do well in 2026 with a Mercedes engine, it would certainly be a bad look for Renault, and the narrative of them holding their teams back due to their engines would only be strengthened.
feed