Renault Agrees to Sell Historic F1 Engine Site Viry-Châtillon to Belgian Group Dumarey
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In brief
Renault Group has agreed to sell Alpine Racing SAS, its Formula 1 engine division at Viry-Châtillon near Paris, to Belgian engineering firm Dumarey Group. The deal, announced 22 October 2026, is set to transfer around 150 employees and the site's facilities, with Dumarey guaranteeing jobs and benefits for 24 months, according to Eurosport. The sale does not affect the UK-based Alpine F1 team, which already races with Mercedes power units.
Renault Group and Belgian engineering company Dumarey Group announced on 22 October 2026 that they had entered into a process for Dumarey to acquire Alpine Racing SAS, the Formula 1 powertrain operation based in Viry-Châtillon, Île-de-France, according to Renault's official media site.
The agreement covers the site's teams and the tangible and intangible assets needed to run the facility, which has more than 40 years of Formula 1 engine development history, including work on hybrid and electric propulsion, simulation, software and advanced testing, Renault's statement said.
What the deal covers
Around 150 employees at Viry-Châtillon are set to transfer to Dumarey Group, according to Eurosport, which reported that Dumarey's offer guarantees their salaries and social benefits for 24 months after completion. The transaction was presented to employee representatives at an extraordinary Works Council meeting on the same day the deal was announced, opening a mandatory legal consultation process, Renault's press release said.
Completion still depends on that employee consultation and on regulatory approvals. Eurosport reported that financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Renault's statement stresses that Alpine Racing SAS, the Viry-Châtillon entity being sold, is legally separate from Alpine Racing Limited, the UK-based company that runs the BWT Alpine Formula One Team competing on the current grid.
Why Renault is exiting its own engine plant
The sale follows Renault's 2024 decision to stop building its own Formula 1 power units. The Alpine F1 team switched to customer Mercedes engines from the 2026 season, according to racingnews365. Renault's in-house engine manufacturing at Viry-Châtillon wound down accordingly, ending a works engine programme that dated back decades.
With no further need to build its own F1 engines, Renault sought a new owner for the facility and its engineering teams rather than closing the site.
Who is Dumarey Group
Dumarey Group is a family-owned engineering company founded in 1983 by Guido Dumarey. It develops engines, energy storage systems and engineering solutions for the automotive and industrial sectors, operating at 11 locations across Europe, the Americas and Asia with about 2,500 employees and roughly 750 million euros in annual revenue, according to Renault's press release.
We see considerable potential in combining its highly skilled teams and technical capabilities with Dumarey's entrepreneurial culture and diversified industrial footprint.
— Guido Dumarey, chairman and founder of Dumarey Group, quoted in Renault Group's official statement
Axel Plasse, identified in Renault's statement as VP Alpine Tech, said the transaction offers a coherent opportunity to secure and further develop the expertise of the Viry-Châtillon site.
Possible future for the engines
Renault and Dumarey both indicated the move could let Viry-Châtillon offer its Formula 1 engine expertise to other racing teams in the future, though no such supply deal has been announced. Racingnews365 reported that the companies described this as an opportunity rather than a confirmed commitment.
Engineering, electrification, testing; possible future motorsport clients
Link to Alpine F1 team
Historic engine supplier
No direct link; Alpine F1 team uses Mercedes engines
What this means for F1 teams
The sale has no direct impact on the current Formula 1 grid. The Alpine F1 Team, based in Enstone, UK, already races with Mercedes power units and is a separate legal entity from the Viry-Châtillon business being sold, Renault's statement said.
For Dumarey, the acquisition marks an expansion into motorsport engineering, adding what Renault's release called 'a recognised centre of excellence in high-performance powertrain development' to its existing automotive and industrial engineering business.
Questions
What exactly is Renault selling?
Renault is selling Alpine Racing SAS, the Formula 1 engine division and facility at Viry-Châtillon near Paris, including its teams and technical assets, to Belgian engineering group Dumarey.
Does this affect the Alpine F1 team on the grid?
No. Alpine Racing Limited, which runs the BWT Alpine Formula One Team in the UK, is a separate legal entity and already uses Mercedes power units from the 2026 season, according to Renault's official statement.
What happens to the roughly 150 employees at Viry-Châtillon?
They are set to transfer to Dumarey Group, which has guaranteed their salaries and social benefits for 24 months, pending a legal employee-consultation process, according to Eurosport's reporting on the deal.
Why did Renault stop building its own F1 engines?
Renault decided in 2024 to end its own Formula 1 power-unit manufacturing, leading the Alpine F1 team to switch to customer Mercedes engines from 2026, as reported by racingnews365.
Could Viry-Châtillon supply engines to other F1 teams in the future?
Renault and Dumarey said the deal could open opportunities for the site to offer its Formula 1 engineering expertise to other racing teams, but no such supply agreement has been confirmed.
How the world is telling it
FrenchFrench outlets Eurosport.fr and Renault's own French-language press release frame the sale primarily as an industrial and employment story in France, emphasising the 150 jobs, the 40-year history of the 'historic' Viry-Châtillon site, and the social guarantees for workers, alongside the motorsport angle.
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