Renault is unlikely to re-enter Formula 1 as a full works engine manufacturer unless the sport simplifies its regulations, according to group CEO Luca de Meo.
Other Formula 1 engine manufacturers are still busily making preparations for the major regulation changes coming in 2026. Some - prominently Audi, Ferrari and Red Bull Powertrains - have even begun hiring staff from Alpine's Viry-Chatillon factory.
De Meo says halting engine manufacturing will save Renault-owned Alpine millions in engine development expenses. De Meo also believes switching to customer Mercedes engines in 2026 will offer a performance advantage.
"Let's be clear," he told L'Equipe. "If you go and visit – as we did – an operation like HPP, the Mercedes engine factory, you see 900 people working there.
"We have 340 employees for our engines," he continued. "They have test benches that we do not have."
Renault's current engine struggles trace back to the previous significant regulation change when naturally-aspirated engines were replaced by today's hybrid power units from 2014.
"The transition to the hybrid era required major investments that we underestimated at the time," de Meo admitted. "We work structurally with three cylinders, while others have eight.
"We simply do not have the structure to be at the forefront of development."
He also pointed out other issues with the sport's regulations.
"The reward structure in Formula 1 does not consider the investments that manufacturer teams need to make," de Meo explained. "We spend more than others, but we don't get any advantage from that.
"In the long run, Formula 1 could – who knows – propose a technological simplification," he added, referencing the creation of a 'F1 monitoring group' at Viry to track developments for the 2030 rule cycle.
"They could propose an engine without hybridisation, for example – without electrification – that makes noise again and runs on e-fuel for a green image," de Meo suggested.
