Mercedes engine no silver bullet for Alpine – Vowles

Oct.14 (GMM) A Mercedes power unit is no guarantee of a more competitive future for Alpine.

That is the assessment of James Vowles, boss of the customer Mercedes-powered Williams team, which is being steadily developed under his leadership.

Alpine team owner Renault has made the dramatic decision to scrap its 2026 works Formula 1 engine program and instead almost certainly simply buy a Mercedes power unit.

“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.

“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,” the Briton added. “At Williams, we’re already over that.

“We started the process a year or two ago and are already reasonably stable.”

Frans Verschuur, a well-known name in Dutch motor racing, told Ziggo Sport that it’s incomprehensible that Renault would stay in F1 but use another manufacturer’s power unit.

“What Renault was strong at was building engines. They always produced world champions with them,” he said.

“They are now getting out of that and … what? A Mercedes in an Alpine?”

Verschuur has a better idea for Renault and Alpine.

“Just stop and sell to Andretti,” he insisted. “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.

Oliver Oakes has been brought in at Alpine to run the Enstone based team through its current crisis, but supporting him as executive advisor is Flavio Briatore.

Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher, however, sees a problem with the 74-year-old Italian.

“He is of course no longer the youngest, and you can tell,” he told Sky Deutschland. “I hope he can still keep it up, because it takes an incredible amount of effort to travel the whole world.

“If I had to say who seems younger between Dr (Helmut) 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, referring to 81-year-old Red Bull advisor Marko.