Alpine has confirmed that it will provide Andretti with Power Units, should its bid to join the Formula 1 grid be successful.
Andretti has been pushing to form its own F1 squad for some time, with the FIA recently setting up the formal process for new teams to apply.
It has faced resistance from several teams – but owner Michael Andretti confirmed that Alpine and McLaren were supportive of his push.
It was always likely a potential power unit deal was behind Alpine’s support, with other outfits upset over what an 11th team would do to its revenue shares.
Speaking at the launch of Alpine’s A523 on Thursday, CEO Laurent Rossi confirmed that an agreement is already in place with Andretti.
“We agreed that if they get their licence to run in Formula One, then we will provide them with a powertrain,” Rossi told Reuters.
“But it’s up to them to show that they can join the Formula 1 circus and for that they need to go through the hoops, the process in place where they submit applications and they show that they bring value to the F1 circus and teams in general.
“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.”
Alpine has signed up for the next cycle of power unit regulations that will commence in 2026.
Currently, Alpine is the only manufacturer that supplies just a sole F1 team, with rivals Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull Powertrains issuing engines to multiple teams.
While Alpine would benefit from another customer by having added on-track data, Rossie denies that it is an essential scenario for the French organisation.
“It’s a nice to have, it’s not a must-have,” he said. “We could use a second team because you accumulate more data across four cars than you do with two.
“But it’s a drag on your team as well, so you need to be completely well structured. We couldn’t do that two years ago.”
Other power unit manufacturers that have signed up for 2026 are Audi, Honda and a new Red Bull Ford tie-up, as well as existing suppliers in Mercedes and Ferrari.
