Alpine abandons F1 engine equalisation push

Alpine has withdrawn a series of proposed upgrades to its current engine after failing to gain full support from rival teams, leading to the FIA assessment of the situation being closed. The performance levels of the currently frozen specification of power units indicated that Alpine’s Renault engine is roughly 15-25Kw (20-33hp) down on rivals, including Ferrari, Mercedes, and Honda. The FIA labeled this a “notable performance gap” and discussed ways to remedy this discrepancy. However, the move to abandon the assessment of engine parity and instead focus on the development of the 2026 PU project is seen as a more strategic decision by Alpine. In a statement issued to Motorsport.com after this publication contacted the team for comment regarding the latest development on the engine equalization story, interim Alpine team principal Bruno Famin said that they made the decision not to take the matter further and that the topic of engine equalization was initially brought forward by the FIA. It is now understood that the plan to abandon the assessment of engine parity will be formally tabled at the next F1 Commission meeting at this weekend’s Abu Dhabi race. When contacted, the FIA did not wish to comment for this story. The move followed the FIA checking engine performance levels over the first half of the 2023 season as had been agreed at the start of the current power unit rules cycle in 2022. This would be done to avoid a major performance difference “being locked in for an extended period”, per the FIA statement. Additionally, the focus is now on emphasizing sustainable fuel and electric power in F1 engines that are coming in just over two years’ time.