Angry workers at Alpine's Viry-Chatillon factory have called on the French government to intervene following Renault Group's decision to shut down the site's Formula 1 engine program.
Supported by a strong union presence, the employees reacted to the news by expressing that they "regret and deplore" the company's decision.
The Alpine F1 team, based in Enstone, UK, is expected to switch to customer Mercedes engines and rear-end components from 2026.
"This choice is endorsed by the (Renault) Group, which wishes to reduce the financial risk surrounding F1, even though no serious study has been conducted to assess the impact on future sales and the prestige of the brand," the frustrated employees stated.
They also revealed that Renault CEO Luca de Meo had "rejected" their counterproposals, which would have allowed the near-completed 2026 engine to be used in competition.
Instead, Renault is converting the F1 engine factory into 'Hypertech Alpine,' a strategy the employees criticize as "imprecise."
"The communicated sizing of the F1 monitoring cell also seems too low, and calls into question the potential return of Alpine as an engine supplier in the long term," the statement added.
The workers warned that staff numbers at the Viry facility will drop sharply from 500 to 334 by January 1 due to the expiration of contracts that will not be renewed.
"Generally speaking, the cessation of F1 engine production, the lack of maturity of the projects brought forward, and the loss of confidence in the management pose a major risk of critical skills leaving the Viry site," they continued.
"Despite the turmoil of the last two months, the Viry team has continued to develop the 2026 power unit that Alpine is depriving itself of," the employees said, adding, "This decision against the tide causes Alpine to miss out on its sporting history."
In their concluding remarks, the staff made a public plea: "We call on the public authorities to defend the sustainability of employment on the Viry-Chatillon site."
