Renault has agreed to sell its Viry-Chatillon engine facility to Belgian company Dumarey Group, according to an official statement. Dumarey, which specialises in technology and development of powertrains and engineering components for mass-produced vehicles, is prepared to take control of the French site. The acquisition proposal has already been submitted to Alpine Racing, and both parties are now working to analyse the organisation and its financial aspects with the goal of moving forward quickly.
The deal will see Dumarey Group acquire Alpine Racing SAS, located in Viry-Chatillon, including "the teams and the tangible and intangible assets required to operate the site." Located in the southern suburbs of Paris, Viry was the home of Renault's Formula 1 engine programme for several decades and was seen as an important hub for motorsport in France. However, Renault ended its in-house engine department at the end of last year in favour of Alpine signing a customer deal with Mercedes, threatening the future of hundreds of employees at Viry.
The deal could also affect Alpine's Hypercar programme, as factory partner Signatech is keen to run the A424 under a different brand in 2027. Talks with Chinese brand Geely appear to have broken down, and the deadline for entry into the 2027 season is 25 November. Team principal Philippe Sinault has maintained that engineers, mechanics and other resources are in place to continue the programme, though a new team would still need to sign drivers.
In its statement, Dumarey Group stressed that it is "seeking to diversify its activities into motorsport," saying the deal "creates opportunities to leverage Renault's Formula 1 engine expertise for racing teams in the future." Axel Plasse, VP Alpine Tech, said the transaction "represents a strong and coherent opportunity to secure and further develop the expertise of the Viry-Châtillon site."
Source: Autosport F1 News · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing