Alpine confirms: 'If Andretti gets on F1 grid, we will supply engines'

Alpine has confirmed that it will supply engines to Andretti Cadillac, should the team be admitted to Formula 1. CEO Laurent Rossi said this in conversation with Reuters.

Back in January, GPblog reported that, provided the team becomes part of the F1 grid, Andretti is likely to get engines from Alpine. However, the power unit would be branded as Cadillac, but Alpine would handle its production. At the unveiling of the A523 for 2023, Rossi confirmed that this is in the planning, although nothing is yet in black and white.

Alpine wants to supply engines to Andretti

Indeed, everything depends on whether Michael Andretti manages to convince the existing F1 teams of the added value of an eleventh team. "We agreed that if they get their licence to run in Formula One, then we will provide them with a powertrain," Alpine's CEO tells us. However, it is up to Andretti to overcome the obstacles and ensure that entry becomes possible.

"It's for them to prove it and for the others to assess. If they join, we'll be happy to join them. If they don't it means that all in all it didn't work out," Rossi continued. He adds that it would be nice for Alpine to have a customer team, but it is certainly not a must.

His words are echoed by Bruno Famin, Alpine's executive director. "Having a second or third team could be interesting in having more experience, more test days in pre-season tests for example. It could be interesting," he replies to a question from GPblog during the press moment after the car launch.

However, he added that this option will only become interesting when the new engine regulations enter into force in 2026. "During the frozen period, I don’t see anything to gain," Famin concluded.