Renault staff to strike at plans to end F1 engine programme

Alpine, owned by Renault, have an all-French driver line-up of Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon

Renault motorsport employees will go on strike on Friday in protest at plans to end the company's Formula 1 engine programme after next year.

A statement from a staff committee at the Renault motorsport base in Viry-Chatillon, near Paris, said the "vast majority" of employees would refuse to work.

A group of staff have also travelled to the Italian Grand Prix, where they will stage a demonstration.

Renault, which owns the Alpine team, started its F1 engine programme in 1977, when the company pioneered turbo engines in the sport. It has won championships with Williams, Benetton and Red Bull.

It is widely expected that the company will abandon its F1 engine project and, from 2026, buy engines from Mercedes for the Alpine team instead. Employees at Viry-Chatillon will be moved on to other motorsport projects.

The plan is based on saving money, and the fact that Renault's engine is the least competitive on the grid. The company has struggled ever since the introduction of hybrid engines in 2014.

Alpine say dialogue with staff "is important to management and will be pursued in the upcoming weeks".

The team added: "The transformation project is still being evaluated and no decision has been taken yet by Alpine’s management."

The statement from a staff committee bemoaned the expected loss of "a rich history of nearly 50 years and 12 world championship titles as an engine manufacturer".

It added that the move also "threatens the international influence of French industrial excellence".

In a previous statement, the committee said it was confident from work already undertaken on the engine for new rules for 2026, which increase the proportion of power supplied by the hybrid part of the engine more than two-fold, that the project was on a good track.

The strike in France will run for six hours, starting at 09:00 local time, with the demonstration at Monza featuring two groups spread across two different grandstands.

A banner with a "clear and non-aggressive message" would be displayed, it said, advocating for a French engine in F1.

In the Alpine garage trackside employees will, "if possible", show support by wearing black armbands.

No action will prevent track operations taking place.