The countdown can begin: Renault Formula 1 engines will contest just 30 more grands prix before being consigned to history.
The third most successful engine manufacturer by wins in F1 history (including its nine triumphs branded as ‘TAG Heuer’ in 2016-18) has decided not to build power units for the championship’s new regulations in 2026.
With this decision, Renault is swimming against the current: Audi will arrive as a full works team in 2026; Honda has performed a U-turn on its 2021 exit and will return with Aston Martin; Ford is also rejoining in an alliance with Red Bull. Meanwhile, Ferrari and Mercedes are happy where they are.
Taken at face value, Renault’s decision is a strange one. A huge opportunity exists for an engine manufacturer to acquire an untouchable performance advantage over their rivals in 2026.
The memory of what Mercedes achieved from 2014 to 2016, when F1 last shook up its power unit regulations, is still fresh. Out of 59 races they won 51, dominating the championships by huge margins.
While Mercedes were crushing the competition, Renault’s works team Red Bull suffered a stunning reversal of fortunes following their four consecutive championship successes. On discovering how uncompetitive their power units were team principal Christian Horner, consultant Helmut Marko and chief technical officer Adrian Newey headed to meet Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn in a vain effort to persuade him to increase spending on their F1 effort.
Newey recalled with dismay that “Ghosn’s reply was ‘well, I have no interest in Formula 1, I’m only in it because my marketing people say I should be’.”
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Red Bull later found success again with Honda, who Newey is eager to work with again when he joins Aston Martin at the beginning of next year to start work on their 2026 project. “I’ll be very pleased to stay working with Honda,” he said. “I’ve really enjoyed working with them over the last six years at Red Bull. Great bunch of engineers.”
Alpine is widely rumoured to be seeking the Mercedes engine supply Aston Martin will relinquish at the end of next year. Newey’s latest creation for Red Bull may well be beaten to the championship this year by one of Mercedes’ other customers, McLaren.
But while customer engines may be competitive at the moment, Newey has no doubt that…
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