In the last week of July, F1’s future changed in the blink of an eye. Alpine Team Principal Bruno Famin announced his exit from the role. But that wasn’t the shocking part, the latter section of his interview revealed Renault, whose F1 history dates back to 1977, would stop providing engines to Alpine and end their trouble-ridden F1 commitment. While many believed that the 2026 regulations reset daunted them, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali says otherwise.

The 59-year-old has defended the 2026 regulations and shifted focus to Renault-owned Alpine’s severe underperformance. The French team, winner of 12 constructors’ championship as an engine supplier, has massively downgraded. In their latest stint (as Renault from 2016 to 2020 and Alpine from 2021 onwards), they have been the face of the midfield. In the last year and a half, major changes in senior management have unsettled them. But Flavio Briatore’s re-arrival, who led the team to four championships in the past (1994-95 with Michael Schumacher and 2005-06 with Fernando Alonso), brought promise.

Renault’s F1 exit, however, never seemed a possibility for the outside world. But now that it has become a reality, Stefano Domenicali addresses why it happened. “I think the real decision [by Renault] was related to another condition, to be very open and very honest with you. It’s not related to a bad regulation,” he told Motorsport. “It’s related to a different situation, where they have to get a result in different times,” he added, referring to Renault’s inability to adapt to modern F1.

Domenicali also shouldered part of the blame on F1 and the FIA’s behalf. “I think when the regulations were being defined, there was a need to make sure that the manufacturers were really interested in being part of the championship. They are a vital part of this equation because without an engine, we cannot race. So there was a need to listen,” he acknowledged.

Briatore’s arrival has only brought instability for Alpine, as of now. But this unsteadiness can also be part of his master plan to resurrect the once-glorious team. Renault’s exit has not only impacted the men and women in Viry working on the engines but also highlighted F1’s changing landscape. Red Bull, who soared to success with the French team’s engines, is also grieving.

Christian Horner bids adieu to their former championship-wining ally Renault

Red Bull soared to success in 2010 using Renault’s superior engines. That, coupled with Adrian Newey’s genius aero design, propelled Sebastian Vettel to 4 consecutive championships. However, the Enstone-based team’s failure in the V6 engine era strained the relationship. In 2019, the Christian Horner-led team eventually abandoned them for Honda, whose engines they still use.

Yet, the news of Renault’s F1 exit saddened Horner. “I’m always sad to see an engine manufacturer go. Viry has been involved in Formula 1 for many, many years. I understand they have other projects that they are involved in. They supplied engines to us for many years, so we know quite a lot of people there and wish them well for the future,” he said. From 2026 onwards, Red Bull will race with their own powertrains, co-created with Ford. Alpine, on the other hand, will become a customer team and source their engines from another manufacturer.

Can the world come around for these two teams with Red Bull then supplying engines to Alpine? Though Horner reveals that they can supply engines to four teams, it won’t come so soon. The Milton Keynes outfit is focused on creating a foolproof solution for themselves before committing to others. But the Alpine possibility will remain open if they find a temporary solution till Red Bull readies themselves.