Official: Renault ends engine programme for 2026

[KimiRai]

I think Carlos Ghosn was the executive who understood the value of the F1 team and supported it. It's been downhill ever since his departure.

Well... according to Newey:

“We were in this position where Renault hadn’t produced a competitive engine in the turbo hybrid era,” said Newey in the F1 Podcast. “You know, that happens first year. Okay, it’s new rules, we all make mistakes.” Crisis talks between the team and Renault were arranged to try and get some action on the engine issues. “We went to see Carlos Ghosn, the boss of Renault at Champs-Élysées, Christian, Helmut and myself, to try to put pressure on him to up the budget and basically ask if he can free more resources so the engine division can accelerate their program… they needed more people and more money,” Newey added.

“Ghosn’s reply was ‘I have no interest in Formula 1. I am only in it because my marketing people say I should be,’” noted Newey. “That was such a depressing place to be.”

[JordanMugen]

Renault F1 staff are being scavenged by Scuderia Ferrari without the need for gardening leave.

Very sporting from the French marque!

Source: https://www.lequipe.fr/Formule-1/Articl ... 26/1511684

[Farnborough]

I think Carlos Ghosn was the executive who understood the value of the F1 team and supported it. It's been downhill ever since his departure.

Well... according to Newey:

“We were in this position where Renault hadn’t produced a competitive engine in the turbo hybrid era,” said Newey in the F1 Podcast. “You know, that happens first year. Okay, it’s new rules, we all make mistakes.” Crisis talks between the team and Renault were arranged to try and get some action on the engine issues. “We went to see Carlos Ghosn, the boss of Renault at Champs-Élysées, Christian, Helmut and myself, to try to put pressure on him to up the budget and basically ask if he can free more resources so the engine division can accelerate their program… they needed more people and more money,” Newey added.

“Ghosn’s reply was ‘I have no interest in Formula 1. I am only in it because my marketing people say I should be,’” noted Newey. “That was such a depressing place to be.”

Ghosn.... the chap that travels incognito in a music case to avoid Japanese judicial control

Yep, I'd say he has a good judgement balance

[Vanja #66]

Renault F1 staff are being scavenged by Scuderia Ferrari without the need for gardening leave.

Very sporting from the French marque!

Source: https://www.lequipe.fr/Formule-1/Articl ... 26/1511684

Interesting, could be related to Nugnes reporting yesterday that new people will join Ferrari PU department at the start of 2025, aiming to boost their 2026 PU efforts

[Luscion]

Also according to this article Renault engineers were exceeding targets and performance isnt why they abandoned the project

https://lastwordonsports.com/motorsport ... engineers/

[AR3-GP]

Renault F1 staff are being scavenged by Scuderia Ferrari without the need for gardening leave.

Very sporting from the French marque!

Source: https://www.lequipe.fr/Formule-1/Articl ... 26/1511684

I don't think it's a favor to Ferrari. It's a favor to their own staff that they screwed by canceling the engine project that they have worked on for at least 2 years.

[GrizzleBoy]

I think Carlos Ghosn was the executive who understood the value of the F1 team and supported it. It's been downhill ever since his departure.

Well... according to Newey:

“We were in this position where Renault hadn’t produced a competitive engine in the turbo hybrid era,” said Newey in the F1 Podcast. “You know, that happens first year. Okay, it’s new rules, we all make mistakes.” Crisis talks between the team and Renault were arranged to try and get some action on the engine issues. “We went to see Carlos Ghosn, the boss of Renault at Champs-Élysées, Christian, Helmut and myself, to try to put pressure on him to up the budget and basically ask if he can free more resources so the engine division can accelerate their program… they needed more people and more money,” Newey added.

“Ghosn’s reply was ‘I have no interest in Formula 1. I am only in it because my marketing people say I should be,’” noted Newey. “That was such a depressing place to be.”

Ghosn.... the chap that travels incognito in a music case to avoid Japanese judicial control

Yep, I'd say he has a good judgement balance

So thats where i remember that name from

[basti313]

Interesting, could be related to Nugnes reporting yesterday that new people will join Ferrari PU department at the start of 2025, aiming to boost their 2026 PU efforts

Well, Ferrari is and was all-in on 2026. I always said...just judging from Hamilton moving there, they have the most money in the project. That will be very interesting, either they nail it or they will have heads rolling.

Also according to this article Renault engineers were exceeding targets and performance isnt why they abandoned the project

Like everyone is on plan...unfortunately we will not see the result until the first car burns in spring 2026...

By the way: I do not see a uniform brain drain. In principle the biggest remain from the Renault project is the tricks they learned. Every manufacturer will sign some of these engineers, not only Ferrari. But money talks...

[lio007]

Well, Ferrari is and was all-in on 2026. I always said...just judging from Hamilton moving there, they have the most money in the project. That will be very interesting, either they nail it or they will have heads rolling.

But there is a budget cap now, so the PU manufacturers can't throw in a crazy amount of money.

[PlatinumZealot]

Also according to this article Renault engineers were exceeding targets and performance isnt why they abandoned the project

https://lastwordonsports.com/motorsport ... engineers/

They will run a "shadow programme" to formula 1 to make sure their technology remains up to speed.

Anyone that really appreciates the technical aggressiveness of formula 1 will probably have an idea of what they will do in the shadow engine programme. I'm think they will have the F1 chassis, the full engine rigs and track simulators running on the engine with the synthetic fuel.. This will be waaay cheaper than actually participating in racing, and maybe not give the 100% learnings from the track but it will be more than good enough for whatever other motorsports or production car endeavours they may have.

[lio007]

Some interesting bits from an engineer in Viry:
https://www.eurosport.fr/formule-1/un-m ... tory.shtml

[zeph]

I think Carlos Ghosn was the executive who understood the value of the F1 team and supported it. It's been downhill ever since his departure.

Well... according to Newey:

“We were in this position where Renault hadn’t produced a competitive engine in the turbo hybrid era,” said Newey in the F1 Podcast. “You know, that happens first year. Okay, it’s new rules, we all make mistakes.” Crisis talks between the team and Renault were arranged to try and get some action on the engine issues. “We went to see Carlos Ghosn, the boss of Renault at Champs-Élysées, Christian, Helmut and myself, to try to put pressure on him to up the budget and basically ask if he can free more resources so the engine division can accelerate their program… they needed more people and more money,” Newey added.

“Ghosn’s reply was ‘I have no interest in Formula 1. I am only in it because my marketing people say I should be,’” noted Newey. “That was such a depressing place to be.”

Guess I stand corrected, then…

[zeph]

Renault F1 staff are being scavenged by Scuderia Ferrari without the need for gardening leave.

Very sporting from the French marque!

Source: https://www.lequipe.fr/Formule-1/Articl ... 26/1511684

I would have thought this to be a great opportunity for Audi…

[Jambier]

Renault F1 staff are being scavenged by Scuderia Ferrari without the need for gardening leave.

Very sporting from the French marque!

Source: https://www.lequipe.fr/Formule-1/Articl ... 26/1511684

I would have thought this to be a great opportunity for Audi…

Indeed, but it is quicker for Vasseur that knows every guy there to recruit the ones he wants.

Fred’s house is 30minutes from Viry, he leaves here since decades and knows every one.

So of course he was going to be the first to fire.
But I believe other top guys from Viry will easily find a job at Audi or Mercedes

[gshevlin]

Renault could recover money by selling the IP of their partially developed PU to another entrant.
Wasn't some US automobile company with the letters M and G in it's initials supposed to be interested in entering F1?