Renault-Alpine denies plans to sell F1 engine know-how to Cadillac: “It wouldn’t make sense”. Bruno Famin firmly denied plans to sell F1 engine know-how to Cadillac.

General Motors, F1 yes or no?
It’s been about a year since General Motors announced its intention to enter Formula 1 as an engine manufacturer starting in 2028. Much has happened since, including Liberty Media’s decision to deny Andretti Global entry into the GP paddock and Michael Andretti’s step back from the top of the historic family business. Then, last September, news broke about Renault’s shutdown of its F1 power unit program, followed by speculation that Cadillac (GM’s brand, already competing in the WEC and earmarked to join F1) might hire some engine specialists from Viry-Chatillon.

Renault-Alpine won’t sell
As General Motors begins recruiting engineers for a possible F1 program, recent rumors suggested that the American giant might consider purchasing Renault’s entire engine project to bridge the gap in know-how compared to other manufacturers. This wouldn’t only apply to current engines but also to those aligned with the 2026-2030 regulations, which Renault had already started working on before deciding to turn Alpine into a Mercedes customer team. However, former team principal Bruno Famin firmly denied this possibility in an interview with *Auto Hebdo*.

Bruno Famin speaks
“We will not sell our intellectual property,” the French engineer stated, “because Viry’s know-how is one of our key assets. We want to retain this knowledge for our future projects and won’t part with it. Furthermore, we have no intention of helping potential rivals to beat us. It would make no sense. So no, the idea of Alpine handing over its F1 power unit intellectual property to others is totally out of the question.”

Famin, who is no longer the team principal but remains responsible for motorsport activities for Renault Group brands, also explained the reasons behind Renault’s exit as an F1 engine manufacturer: “Until 2025, the spending cap for engines is $95 million, rising to $135 million from 2026. That’s an extremely high figure, as we would need to develop at full speed over a 4-5 year cycle, investing around a billion dollars. Spending half of what our competitors do while hoping to be twice as clever no longer works. On the other hand, the rules limit the cost of leased engines to $17 million per year… It’s a huge difference.”