Alpine Formula 1 Team Advisor Flavio Briatore has categorically ruled out a sale of the team, stating that Renault Group CEO Luca De Meo, never wants to sell.
Technical staff rotation, dwindling performance and intra-organisational strife have marked a turbulent year for the Alpine F1 squad.
The latest twist is De Meo’s intention to cease production of F1 power units in Viry-Chatillon in favour of a customer engine deal.
Still, despite this seismic change to the way the team operates, Briatore, who returned to the Alpine fold in June, states the team isn’t up for sale.
“No, there is nothing for sale,” the Italian told Autosport.
“Everything, we buy. If we had the opportunity, we [would] buy another one team and I put a managing director in.
“Something is very clear. Luca de Meo never wants to sell the team. Question finito.”
That will be bad news to any prospective buyers looking to make their way into F1, or those wanting an 11th spot on the grid.
Alpine’s continued mismanagement of its F1 squad no doubt will draw judging eyes from the likes of Andretti, an entity that continues striving for a spot in F1, with its wanting falling on deaf ears.
The Renault Group’s decision to cease production of its own F1 power unit isn’t purely performance-based, moreover, it is a financial one.
Since F1’s hybrid era began in 2014, Renault engines have been significantly on the back foot and that lack of performance has proved costly.
By switching from making its own engines to becoming a Mercedes engine customer, a plan slated to begin in 2026, the Renault group will save nearly $90 million a year.
However, staff at Viry, who have been producing F1 engines for several decades, are strongly opposed to the change.
“We do not understand what justifies killing this elite entity that is the Viry-Chatillon site and betraying its legend and its DNA by grafting a Mercedes heart into our F1 Alpine [car],” read a statement by the Social and Economic Council of Alpine employees.
That statement largely went unheard by De Meo and the wider Renault Group Management and thus a peaceful protest went ahead at Monza last weekend.
Approximately 100 staff headed to the Italian GP at Monza, split into two groups with a CSE statement ahead of the protest “Each group will display a banner with a clear and non-aggressive message, pleading the cause of maintaining a French engine in F1, all will be wearing a white T-shirt with the Alpine logo, the message #ViryOnTrack and a black armband.”
