Toto Wolff responds to rumours of Mercedes supplying Alpine with F1 engines
"Alpine, at the moment, is exploring all sorts of avenues."
Toto Wolff has addressed speculation of Mercedes potentially supplying Alpine with F1 engines from 2026, claiming the French outfit are “exploring all sorts of avenues”.
According to The Race, Alpine are considering binning off their engine project for 2026 and thus would look to become a customer team.
The rumour is an interesting one as it would mean Alpine would surrender their works status.
Renault have struggled to deliver a powerful engine since the introduction of the current rules in 2014.
With new engine rules being introduced in 2026, they have a choice to make.
McLaren legend Ron Dennis previously claimed that it would be impossible for a customer team to win a world championship hence their switch from Mercedes to Honda in 2015.
However, McLaren’s return to Mercedes under Zak Brown hasn’t held them back, with the Woking outfit consistently the second-best team in F1.
Speaking about the Alpine rumours in a sit down interview with Sky F1, Wolff said: “Alpine, at the moment, is exploring all sorts of avenues. Their management is clearly not happy with their performances.
“But you know how it is in Formula 1 - it swings. Three races ago, Alpine had all the reasons to explore opportunities.
“But look at Barcelona and [Austria] and they look much better. So maybe overall it isn’t just the engine.”
Mercedes have been vocal about their chances of performing well in 2026 as they look to repeat what they achieved a decade ago.
Their confidence could be the catalyst in potentially signing Max Verstappen to the team in the future, given the importance of a strong engine in the new rules.
However, when assessing the regulations as a whole, Wolff concedes they “don’t look particularly great”.
“The regulations, as they stand, don’t look particularly great,” he added. “But it’s a work in progress. I very much hope those responsible on the FIA side listen to the teams, and we work collaboratively to come up with regulations to make it an exciting sport. That is most important. They are stakeholders, and also the fans out there.”
