Mercedes no guarantee of success for Alpine, says Vowles

A Mercedes power unit will not automatically solve the competitive struggles of Alpine, warns James Vowles, the boss of the Mercedes-powered Williams team.

Despite Renault's decision to abandon its own 2026 Formula 1 engine program and likely adopt a Mercedes engine, Vowles is cautious about how much of a difference that move will make.

"I see a question mark with Alpine," Vowles told Auto Motor und Sport. "Even if they buy engines from Mercedes, they are a long way behind. We've been working with Mercedes since 2014 and are already in the middle of the 2026 project with them."

Vowles emphasized that simply acquiring a new engine won't magically turn things around for Alpine. "You can't just screw an engine into the back of the car and hope that it will work out. And Alpine is still on a downward trend. That has to be stopped first before the turnaround can be initiated," he explained. "At Williams, we're already over that. We started the process a year or two ago and are already reasonably stable."

Frans Verschuur, a notable figure in Dutch motor racing, expressed his disbelief at Renault's decision to stay in F1 while using another manufacturer's engine. "What Renault was strong at was building engines. They always produced world champions with them," he said on Ziggo Sport. "They are now getting out of that and ... what? A Mercedes in an Alpine?"

Verschuur offered a different suggestion for Renault and Alpine: "Just stop and sell to Andretti. They're stopping the engines because of cutbacks? Then cut back completely and sell the team for $800 million to Andretti. Then you're really cutting back," he quipped.

Alpine is currently undergoing significant changes, with Oliver Oakes brought in to manage the team through its crisis, supported by executive advisor Flavio Briatore.

However, former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher expressed concerns about the 74-year-old Italian's ability to keep up with the demanding role. "He is of course no longer the youngest, and you can tell," Schumacher told Sky Deutschland. "I hope he can still keep it up, because it takes an incredible amount of effort to travel the whole world."

Schumacher even compared Briatore to Red Bull's Dr. Helmut Marko, who is 81. "If I had to say who seems younger between Dr. Marko and Flavio, I have to admit that Marko gives the fresher impression to me – but he's actually a bit older, or even much older," Schumacher smiled.

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