Alpine customer switch given ‘big boost’ verdict by ex-Viry F1 engine driver

Former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde believes Alpine will get a “big boost” from 2026, when they move to a customer power unit deal with Mercedes.

The move was announced for Alpine to shift away from its F1 2026 power unit programme with Renault, which was already in the works, to take on a customer deal with Mercedes.

Van der Garde: Alpine customer switch to Mercedes ‘the right choice’

Staff at Renault’s engine base in Viry-Chatillon protested against the move to close its F1 2026 power unit project, but the brand has pressed ahead with the move to switch to customer power with Mercedes.

Van der Garde ran in Formula 1 with Renault power in his stint with Caterham in 2013, having visited their “incredible” engine base in the process, but given the strength Mercedes showed in the last big switch in power unit regulations in 2014, alongside their outright performance, he believes the Renault Group made a wise decision to become Mercedes customers.

“For me, I think it’s the right choice,” Van der Garde explained on the F1 Nation podcast.

“Mercedes always have delivered. Remember, from the V8 to the V6 in the first couple of years, it was incredibly strong. It was a different category, from my opinion.

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“They have good people there, they know how to build an engine, they have good knowledge. So I think for Alpine, it’s the right way to go with Mercedes – and I’m sure they will be there.

“And I’m sure on the other side as well, that they already hoped to have that engine for next year, because, the Renault or the Alpine engine is still struggling on track.

“In qualifying, it’s okay, but in the whole race, they have to tune the engine too much down, and they lose quite a bit of performance.

“If you see that chassis, it’s a strong car in the corners, but on the straight line, you see all the time that they lose a bit too much – but I think it’s a big boost for the team that they changed the engines for 2026.”

A group of workers at Viry said the decision to move to Mercedes power, before the switch was announced, came with the “unanimous, unfavourable opinion of the Alpine Racing Works Council”, adding they “regret and deplore the decision” to do so.

While Van der Garde has seen and appreciates the work they do up close, he admitted that the cost-cutting needs of the team have to be met in this moment.

“I’ve been there, it’s incredible,” he said.

“At that time, I have to say, I think it was a really strong engine. I mean, they had been winning there with the Red Bull. The Caterham car was not so good at that time, [I] was struggling quite a bit with that car – although I learned a lot from it.

“If you see the factory, the people working there, it’s quite a big thing.

“They have to move on. They have to save money, they have to look at different things. I think it’s the right choice for Alpine to move to Mercedes.”

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