Staff at Renault's Viry-Chatillon engine manufacturing facility have accused the company of shunning its heritage.

It's failure to get to grips with the hybrid era aside, Renault does indeed have a rich, proud history in the sport even if it hasn't always taken advantage of the fact.

Now, following official confirmation that Renault engines will be seen on the F1 grid for the last time in 2025, leaving Alpine to run Mercedes power units, staff at the Viry-Chatillon facility have accused the legendary French manufacturer of putting money before tradition and history.

"All staff representatives, representing the voice of employees and a majority of stakeholders, regret and deplore the decision to stop F1 engines in 2026," said the Viry Social and Economic Committee (CSE) in a statement.

"This choice is endorsed by the 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.

"Partnership solutions were rejected by the group, even though they would have made it possible to meet several objectives: maintaining F1 activity, reducing development and operating costs, maintaining all skills, and the possibility of bringing an already largely developed and promising RE26 engine to the 2026 season."

In its statement confirming the withdrawal Renault insisted that it will continue to keep an eye on F1 with a view to a possible return. However, the CSE warns that the decimation of staff will make this impossible.

"The history of the Viry site shows that conflicting decisions have often been taken, and demonstrates the importance of maintaining highly qualified skills for the future in order to leave the door open to a return to F1 when the regulations and the financial context of the shareholder make it more attractive.

Other than the obvious job losses, the CSE warned of the end of the Alpine Mechanical Excellence Competition, an apprenticeship programme backed by the government which promotes diversity and opportunity in motorsport.

Not least, the Viry staff are in disbelief that despite the hard work and investment, the 2026 engine project is to be shelved.

"Despite the turmoil of the last two months, the Viry team has continued to develop the power of the 2026 engine that Alpine is depriving itself of," said the statement as the CSE called on public authorities to voice their concern over the sustainability of the iconic facility.

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by Ricardo_sanchez, 04/10/2024 2:11

"@BillH - exactly right. "

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2. Posted by BillH, 04/10/2024 0:43

"All Renault's issues come down to leadership, or lack of good leadership.
Good leadership would have:
Sorted the Power Units
Made sure the right drivers were in place
Had customers
Had the right engineers in the right place at the right time prioritising and executing their work.
"

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3. Posted by Ricardo_sanchez, 03/10/2024 16:32

"A quick PS on the referenced ‘Excellence Mécanique Alpine’ competition.

It was not a DEI hiring programme at all. It was simply a competition for young people already training in the automotive sector. It gave them the opportunity to compete for a place as an intern at Viry with the possibility of an apprenticeship after that.

The “inclusive” provision was simply that entrants’ financial circumstances should not be a barrier to success. Consequently, costs incurred by candidates during the internship, including transport & accommodation, were covered by Alpine.

It seems unlikely that Renault’s lack of success can be laid at the door of a few interns working in the assembly shop. "

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4. Posted by Ricardo_sanchez, 03/10/2024 12:51

"@Celtic Tiger - is there any evidence to support your ‘smoking gun’ idea about Renault’s engine woes being due to DEI hires?

DEI programmes are about creating equitable opportunities and harnessing the benefits of a diverse workforce while maintaining a focus on appointing the best candidates based on merit. When implemented correctly, they do not undermine meritocracy but enhance it by making sure that everyone is competing on a level playing field whilst broadening the pool of talent upon which to draw.

"

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5. Posted by trackrecords, 03/10/2024 3:26

"@ BrightonCorgi I understand that Renault/Alpine has a token presence in Australia but the importer doesn't understand the concept of 'after sales service', with almost zero parts stock, so buying a Renault/Alpine is only as a 2nd/3rd car.
3 months ago, I actually saw a new Alpine - and not seen another since - in South Yorkshire,
yet last week, I saw 2 Porsche Taycans and a Maserati SUV, in one day alone! "

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6. Posted by kenji, 03/10/2024 0:32

"Despite all the shade thrown at this team they do stand a chance to improve now that Flavio has dipped into it. His reputation amongst so many followers is dubious but he's a canny survivor and he will either succeed or go down in flames. Flavio is a deal maker and this latest decision to ditch the house engine is one that I'm sure was not taken lightly. Remember that Flavio ran Mechachrome, he knows his way around these matters. Maybe it's just all a diversion and a forerunner of bigger things re the Andretti mess?"

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7. Posted by Mad Matt, 02/10/2024 21:22

"I don't think it really matters that Alpine aren't in the US as only a small percentage of viewers are from the US.

While I agree the Renault engine is not the best it seems fairly clear that it's not the cause of all of their problems. It all just has the air of incompetent management wandering round firing people saying "now it will all work" when they've got no idea what's going on.

Look at the changes they've made in staff and things have only got worse, look at the cock up they made with Oscar P (lucky escape for him in the end).

It's time for them to address the real problem..."

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8. Posted by Alex_V10_USA, 02/10/2024 20:08

"The end of an era. Sad but from a corporate perspective, Renault has much bigger fish to fry."

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9. Posted by Celtic Tiger, 02/10/2024 19:56

"I can respect heritage as much as most anyone but at the end of the day it doesn't put food in the belly nor clothes on the back. Also, if its not winning races then one needs to be flexible.

It's unreasonable to expect them to keep pumping money into a program that has produced the weakest engine consistently for the last ten years. What's concerning to any Renault fan, I'd imagine, is that in a decade since the introduction of the hybrid power unit the people haven't been able to produce a good engine but then I noticed this;
"Other than the obvious job losses, the CSE warned of the end of the Alpine Mechanical Excellence Competition, an apprenticeship programme backed by the government which promotes diversity and opportunity in motorsport."

That appears to be the smoking gun. DEI hires. Explains a lot. I think the CSE claims about the RE26 is most likely a steaming load and I also think that the ones running the engine development on all levels has been p*ssing on Renault/Alpine's feet and telling them its raining for far too long and it looks as if they've had enough. Its a shame people are losing jobs but by the same token it wouldn't be an issue if they did the job right.
If I were the chassis department, I'd be on alert. Now that they have gone ahead with a power unit from a proven manufacturer like Mercedes that leaves the Alpine's chassis exposed for scrutiny by the company. Lets hope Alpine's merc powered car is akin to what McLaren has done this year because I think its good for F1 to have a french team competing. Y'know, for the sake of heritage."

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10. Posted by RobMartin, 02/10/2024 16:48

"Cadillac/GM to buy out the intellectual property of Renault, finds its a good engine. Partners with a team (Haas/VCARB?) before a complete buy out. You heard it here first! Renault regrets decision "

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11. Posted by BrightonCorgi, 02/10/2024 12:05

"Being in F1 doesn't make sense for Renault. Renault does not sell cars in America and so much focus is put on catering to that market. Americans assume Alpine has something to do with skis. Crappy results for several years ain't helping their cause either.

"

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Viry staff "deplore" Renault's F1 withdrawal

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