Historic Formula 1 team shutting down engine facility

Renault have been manufacturing engines in Formula 1 since 1977, but their run will end at the end of the 2025 season, as Alpine plan to switch to Mercedes engines for the 2026 season and beyond.

The decision is somewhat of a shocking one, given the fact that Alpine are owned by Renault. But now they are set to become a customer team rather than a factory team.

The move has become a reality quite quickly over the last couple of months, after developments had already begun on the 2026 engine. The reason behind the move is likely Renault’s lack of confidence when it comes to producing an engine that is not only compliant with the new set of regulations slated to go into effect but competitive with the engines of some of the better teams in Formula 1.

As a result, the Renault factory is set to shut down.

Engineers outraged by the decision

Renault’s engine manufacturing facility is located in Viry-Chatillon, France and has been key for most of the company's prior success. With the factory set to shut down, lots of employees are angry over losing their jobs and their projects being discontinued after having already begun work for 2026.

While the plan is for all current employees to be offered other jobs within Renault, or at least get some assistance from the company for their future endeavors, the unrest within the organization has already begun.

Several employees reportedly feel “betrayed” and “backstabbed” by the decision to discontinue Renault engines in Formula 1 after 2025. Their data suggested that the engine’s performance was capable of matching Mercedes, which appear to be the current frontrunner in engine development for 2026.

A portion of Renault’s staff are still in a panic, despite the guarantee of new jobs, and some seem to be taking time off to assess their current status. The approach is understandable, considering the fact that the company’s long-standing presence in Formula 1 is suddenly set to come to a halt.

Perhaps Renault should have given their engineers more time for development before a decision was made, especially due to the fact that some believed they were on par with Mercedes.

With the next era of regulations set to be much different than the present, no team truly knows whether their engine will succeed or not. If anything, Renault could have given their 2026 engine a chance before possibly becoming a customer team in 2027 or 2028. Nevertheless, the organization closing their engine facility is certainly a sad sight, marking a continuation of their decreasing involvement in Formula 1.