Renault to sell former F1 engine facility in Viry

Renault has secured a buyer for its Viry factory after curtailing its F1 engine programme

Renault has agreed to sell its Viry-Chatillon engine facility to Belgian company Dumarey Group.

According to an official statement, the Dumarey Group, 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. Both parties are now working diligently to analyse the entire organization and its financial aspects, with the goal of determining how to move 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.

But Renault pulled the plug on 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.

Alpine is also exiting the World Endurance Championship at the end of the year, having used Viry to maintain and assemble the Mecachrome-built engines that power its A424 LMDhs.

WEC future

The deal could also have implications for Alpine's Hypercar programme, with its factory partner Signatech keen to run the A424 under a different brand in 2027.

Signatech appeared poised to finalise a deal with Chinese brand Geely after last month's Fuji 6 Hours, but the talks between the two firms appear to have broken down.

The deadline for entry into the 2027 season is 25 November; the necessary formal documentation must be finalised by then to secure a spot in the Hypercar class. For weeks, team principal Philippe Sinault has maintained that everything is in place, in terms of engineers, mechanics and all other resources required, to continue the A424 program in the championship next year.

Naturally, organising a new team also entails signing the necessary drivers (noting, for instance, the departure of Antonio Felix da Costa) and confirming those already involved in the programme.

In its statement, the 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: “This transaction represents a strong and coherent opportunity to secure and further develop the expertise of the Viry-Châtillon site. It opens up new prospects for employees and for the engineering business. This development is a recognition of the site’s longstanding motorsport expertise, particularly in Formula 1.”

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- The Autosport.com Team

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