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Alpine will race with Mercedes engines from 2026, officially ending its run as a works Formula 1 power unit supplier.
The team - fresh off a shock double podium at Interlagos in the last F1 race - has long been linked to the Mercedes switch and now the move is official for the next rules cycle.
In a statement released by Alpine on Tuesday, the team said it would use Mercedes gearboxes and power units "from 2026 until at least 2030."
It added: "The team remains focused on performing in the strongest way possible in the 2024 and 2025 seasons."
The gearbox arrangement means Alpine will use Mercedes’ rear suspension as well, however The Race understands Alpine is keeping its options open and will explore producing its own gearbox and rear suspension from 2027.
This would replicate the McLaren customer arrangement with Mercedes, which confers an advantage in how much control the team has on designing a performance-critical part of the car, rather than the full rear-end supply that Aston Martin and Williams have.
Alpine is tooled up to do that because it has been producing its own gearbox and rear suspension while operating as a works team. It has also invested recently in a new gearbox dyno so while the Mercedes arrangement could continue with the engine and gearbox for the duration of the deal, it makes sense for Alpine to explore how to tailor its customer engine supply to the facilities and expertise that already exist in Enstone.
This deal will be much cheaper for Alpine rather than developing its own power unit, and it will hope it can follow a similar path to McLaren, which has effectively usurped its engine partner - also Mercedes - in F1’s competitive order this year.
But it also takes away some of the freedom to develop Alpine had previously and means it is beholden to the engine Mercedes produces with little chance to change it. That's always a risk in a new rules era. So there are pros and cons to the move.
Alpine had the fourth-best car as recently as 2022. But multiple changes of management and a struggle for the Enstone factory to work effectively alongside the engine group in France has culminated in a disappointing run for the team, although the upgrades it has brought this year have been effective.
It sits sixth in the constructors’ championship with three races remaining, an unthinkable position at the start of the year, after jumping from ninth before the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The team has also been linked to repetitive rumours that it could be sold, although this has been denied by Alpine.
