"There was never a war" between Enstone and Viry, assures Briatore

At the time he was Team Principal of Renault (2000-2009), Flavio Briatore was already not a fervent supporter of the two-factory organization – the one for the engine at Viry-Châtillon and the one for the chassis-aerodynamics at enstone – even if he had to deal with it. Despite a collaboration that proved fruitful, with two Constructors titles in 2005 and 2006 doubled by the crowning of Fernando Alonso On the drivers' side, the model with two separate farms, in two different countries, each with their own culture, seems to be an antinomy of performance.

In our columns, Bruno Famin had confided that there is "an economic equation so unfavorable to engine manufacturers in Formula 1 that it was much more profitable for Alpine to allocate these resources to the development of its brand and its new projects.” The director ofAlpine Motorsports then clarified that the actual cost would be " in the 180-190 million euros annual to develop the engine » salary. "17 million annually" for the purchase of a turnkey engine… ten times cheaper!

reset Alpine "at the top of the bill", the reason for the divorce?

On the occasion of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Briatore recalled that his role as executive advisor is "to put Alpine at the top of the poster. The Italian businessman particularly justified the shutdown of the Renault engine at the end of the 2025 season. “All decisions are difficult, says the 74-year-old. When you are in charge of a company, you are very much alone when it comes to making choices. We have to be at the same driving level as the others."

Aware of the challenges for the years to come – particularly with the new technical regulations, planned for 2026 – the controversial leader of Verzuolo draws up an unpleasant assessment. "Today there are twelve cars in the same second. With 3 or 4/10^e "If we were late in entering, our ranking for the weekend could be different. We have to be at the top in all areas. We have to beat our opponents." The solution found by Alpine ? Become a client stable of Mercedes from 2026.

Officially, the reasons for this "separation" between Enstone and Viry are divided between the lack of performance and the financial costs, not the probable disagreements between the two factories. For Briatore, if "theThe team has won seven championships, which means that Viry has also done a great job,” but this does not seem to be enough for the Italian. "At the time of the last rule change (in 2022, Editor’s note.), it may have taken a little longer to set up and unfortunately the engines were then frozen" explained Luca De Meo's right-hand man before reassuring about the relationship between the two entities. “With the quality and resources existing in Viry, it will continue to be a vital location for Renault and Alpine. There has never been a war."

ALSO READ > Flavio Briatore: "My job is to put Alpine at the top of the poster »