Renault steps away
The 2025 season turned into one of the darkest—and perhaps most disappointing—chapters not only for a team like Alpine but also for a historic manufacturer such as Renault. The French team finished the season at the bottom of the standings with just over 20 points. Moreover, starting next season, the team will no longer benefit from its partnership with the Viry-Châtillon-based manufacturer, which will leave Formula 1 after nearly continuous involvement since 1977. As a result, Alpine will compete with Mercedes power units.
The story with Prost
At Abu Dhabi, the final Grand Prix of the 2025 season, an era came to an end for Renault, a manufacturer that played a key role in helping French driver Alain Prost reach the highest levels of his career. After debuting with Renault in the early 1980s, the ‘Professor’ won his fourth and final world championship in 1993, the year he retired from F1 following a memorable season with Williams, powered by Renault engines.
The fear of a distant and difficult return
Attending a gala organized by Motor Sport magazine, Prost reflected on his relationship with Renault, not hiding his disappointment over their exit from Formula 1: “I was involved with Renault when it was still a racing school and then with Formula Renault, about 50 years ago,” he stated. “So I’ve always followed them. I still work for them, even today I still do some things with them. It’s a shame. I understand the decision from a financial perspective, especially when managing a team based in France. The costs are higher than in countries like England, for example.”
“Obviously I am very sad because it’s a long history. It seems like they just disappear, nobody talks about it, but if I’m here today it’s thanks to them. For the history of what they have done in motorsport, in F1, we are part of that story. It will be very difficult for them to return. Maybe after a long time, but it’s too difficult. Maybe in another way.”
Alain Prost’s words serve as a poignant reminder of the shifting landscape in modern Formula 1, where financial pragmatism often outweighs decades of heritage. For a manufacturer that revolutionized the sport with the introduction of the turbo engine, leaving the grid marks a significant loss for the “tricolore” identity in racing. Whether Renault finds a “different way” back into the paddock remains to be seen, but for now, the Professor’s verdict suggests the French anthem will be missing from the engine starting blocks for the foreseeable future.
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