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MONZA, Italy — Alpine’s Formula One employees based at Viry-Châtillon, where its Renault engines are built, are expected to mobilize a peaceful protest on Friday in Monza and at the factory.
The protest concerns a proposed “transformation project,” which includes potentially ending the F1 engine program to become a customer that buys engines from another team in 2026. The Athletic understands that it is not a full work stoppage. Alpine’s F1 team released the following statement.
“We are aware of some activities planned this weekend from staff of Viry,” the statement reads. “We understand from their communication these will be peaceful protests and will not impact team operations. The transformation project is still being evaluated and no decision has been taken yet by Alpine’s management.
“The dialogue, which opened since the project was presented to the Viry employee representatives in July, is important to Alpine’s management and will be pursued in the upcoming weeks.”
Renault is the parent company of Alpine.
Alpine Racing’s Works Council, the group representing workers at the Viry-Châtillon facility, organized a trip for some employees to make the trip to Italy. At least one group will have “a banner with a clear and non-aggressive message, advocating for the retention of a French engine in F1,” according to the Works Council. Those involved will wear “a white t-shirt with the Alpine logo, the message #ViryOnTrack, and a black armband.” The Works Council indicated that some trackside employees may wear the black armband “if possible.” Additionally, the Works Council said, “No action will prevent track operations from taking place.”
Meanwhile, employees will display signs at Viry-Châtillon, near Paris, and local officials are expected to be present.
Renault started producing F1 engines in the 1970s. Over the years, it has serviced Williams, Red Bull, and Benetton, for example. Before the summer break, it emerged that the company was considering changing its role from engine manufacturer to customer team.
The Viry-Châtillon teams began working on the 2026 engine in 2022, and the first start happened midway this year. According to a press release from the Works Council, “After two years of investment, the performance results are promising, even though a third of the validated items have yet to be introduced at this stage on the V6.”
Top photo: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
