Renault staff to strike at Italian Grand Prix over Alpine engine decision

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.”