Alpine : Viry employees plan actions on the fringes of F1 at Monza

If the management ofAlpine F1. seems to have already made its decision (although it has not yet been publicly announced) regarding the shutdown of the engine. Renault F1 from 2026, employees of Viruses-Châtillon have not given up their fight yet. Last June, the first persistent rumors relayed the possibility thatAlpine F1 Team is abandoning its engine, which has been built for many years at the French site of Viry-Châtillon in Essonne, in order to opt for a third-party supply (probably Mercedes) in order to reduce the direct costs associated with motorization.

If no official communication has ever been made by the General Management of Renault orAlpine Racing in this sense, Bruno Famin, ex-team principal who left his post (but not the company) a month ago, had nevertheless mentioned in front of the microphones “an upcoming transformation of the Viry site”, confirming that Viry employees "have worked incredibly hard on this new generation of F1 engines for 2026, which may never see the light of day". As a reminder, the Diamond engines have won world titles several times, most recently from 2010 to 2013 with Red Bull et Sebastian VettelIf this chapter does indeed close, it will be a whole part of Renault's history that will come to an end.

Protest movement in Monza

This is precisely what the vast majority of employees attached to the F1 program want to avoid. "This project risks leading many engineers and technicians, considered the elite in their field, to leave France in order to continue their activities in Formula 1 and to terminate the contracts of around a hundred service providers." they denounce within the CSE. In order to give themselves the best possible chance of changing management's mind, employees ofAlpine Racing France will mobilize this Friday, August 30, in a protest movement to publicly express their opinion. And they have chosen to do so in Monza, where the Alpine in F1, around operations that they promise will be peaceful.

Around a hundred employees will attend the first day of the F1 Italian Grand Prix, which will include two free practice sessions. This trip, organized by the CSE, will see two groups divided into stands N4 and N24. "Each group will display a banner with a clear and non-aggressive message, pleading the cause of maintaining a French engine in F1, tYou will be wearing a white t-shirt with logo Alpine, #ViryOnTrack message and black armband on the arm», we read in the press release sent by the Viry CSE.

A strike in Viry

It was also clarified "that no action will prevent runway operations from taking place." At the same time, on the same day in Viry-Châtillon, the vast majority of other employees who were unable to attend this event will be on strike, in solidarity with this movement. "Signs of discontent will be clearly displayed in a respectful but determined climate,
in the presence", is announced by local elected officials who will come to show their support for this mobilization.

As a reminder, the Viry-Châtillon teams have been working since 2022 on the development of the new engine for the 2026 season, focused on technological breakthroughs with a greater share of electrification. "The first start-up planned for mid-2024 took place on time and, above all, successfully, we are assured by the CSE. After two years of investment, the performance results are promising, while a third of the validated items have not yet been introduced at this stage on the V6."