When Oliver Oakes took charge of the Alpine team earlier this year, he was given one of the most difficult tasks in F1: restructuring and stabilizing a team in turmoil. With many management changes occurring behind the scenes, Oakes faced the challenge of guiding Alpine to success while preparing for the new regulatory era set to begin in 2026.

Oakes wasn’t even involved in the decision-making process that led to the closure of Alpine’s powertrain department and the subsequent deal with Mercedes.

However, Oakes never considered this a huge obstacle. He too would have decided to choose the Silver Arrows as the new engine suppliers. Given McLaren’s progression as a Mercedes customer team over the years, the future also looks bright for Oakes.

“I don’t know all the ins and outs of the decision because it was a little before I started, but if I had to choose it, I would probably turn around and say that history shows that every time there is a change in regulations, they were strong,” said Oakes on the Beyond the grid podcast.

Alpine will cease production of its Renault engines, manufactured in Vichy, from 2026, after signing a contract with Mercedes for the supply of powertrains and gearboxes.

Oakes further justified this by explaining that McLaren is one of the teams fighting for the world championship. Therefore, continuing on this path was a safe bet for those responsible before him.

Alpine faced immense backlash for its Mercedes engine decision

Since Alpine will no longer use Renault powered engines, their engine department will be closed. It means dozens of employees, many of whom have been with the Enstone-based team since its Renault days and contributed to its past Championship successes, will lose their jobs.

Several employees went on strike to show management that they were not happy. Ahead of the Italian GP there was a massive protest, with the works council also issuing a statement accusing Alpine of betraying “its goal”. He read,

“We do not understand what justifies killing this elite F1 entity that is the Viry-Châtillon site and betraying its heritage and its DNA by implanting a Mercedes heart or any other in our Alpine F1.“, we read in the press release. “The announcement of the cessation of the development and production of French engines for Formula 1 is incomprehensible. We cannot conceive that Alpine and the Renault group would betray their raison d’être and damage their image.“.

With Alpine expected to continue using Renault engines for the 2025 season before switching to Mercedes in 2026, they are likely to face strained relations with employees at Viry-Châtillon, where the team’s engines are produced . Many of these employees feel betrayed by this decision.