Alpine and Mercedes Involved in a Viral Online Trolling Contest

If you’ve been following the drama in the Formula 1 paddock lately, you know things over at Alpine have been anything but quiet. The French team is currently trying to claw its way back from a disastrous 2025 season in which it finished dead last, scraping together a measly 22 points.

But recently, they’ve been making headlines for two very different reasons: a massive strategic shift involving Mercedes, and some hilarious internet banter between drivers.

It’s a mix of serious business and lighthearted trolling that perfectly sums up the current state of F1. On one hand, you have the collapse of a factory engine program; on the other, you have Pierre Gasly teasing George Russell on Instagram.

Let’s break down what is actually going on at Alpine and why their new partnership with Mercedes changes everything.

1. Why Alpine is Betting it All on Mercedes Power

For decades, Renault (Alpine’s parent company) prided itself on being a “works” team. In F1 speak, that means they made everything themselves—the chassis was built in Enstone, UK, and the engine was built in Viry-Chatillon, France. It’s a point of national pride. But pride doesn’t win races if your engine is slow and unreliable. After years of underperformance, the team made a heartbreaking but necessary call: they are shutting down the Renault engine program. Starting in 2026, Alpine will officially become a customer team, running Mercedes power units instead. This wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision. It was largely driven by Flavio Briatore, the team’s controversial but effective executive advisor. He was blunt about the situation, stating that getting a Mercedes engine wasn’t “Plan B”—it was the only plan. The reality is that the Renault power unit just couldn’t keep up with the competition. By switching to Mercedes, Alpine instantly solves its biggest headache. They get a proven, reliable, and powerful engine that has dominated the turbo-hybrid era. It’s hard to overstate how big this cultural shift is. For a French team to stop using a French engine is a massive step. It signals that the team is finally prioritizing survival and competitiveness over heritage. The move to Mercedes puts Alpine in the same boat as teams like McLaren and Williams. It’s a double-edged sword. Yes, they get a great engine. But they also lose the excuse of “engine trouble.” If the car is slow in 2026, the blame falls entirely on their aerodynamic and chassis design. There is nowhere left to hide.

2. Gasly, Russell, and the Battle of the Pose

While the executives were busy signing contracts with Mercedes, the drivers were busy entertaining the fans. Pierre Gasly recently set social media on fire by posting a photo that looked… familiar. In the picture, Gasly is mimicking George Russell’s iconic introductory pose—arms crossed, chin up, looking into the distance with intense seriousness. It’s a pose Russell has been roasted for countless times, becoming a bit of a meme in the F1 community. Gasly’s recreation was spot-on, and it sparked a fun back-and-forth between the Alpine and Mercedes admin teams online. It might seem silly, but these moments matter. When a team is struggling as badly as Alpine has been, morale can hit rock bottom. Seeing the drivers and the social media team keeping spirits high and engaging with the culture shows they haven’t given up. It keeps the fans interested even when the car is finishing at the back of the grid.

3. Can Alpine Beat the Other Mercedes Customer Teams?

The big question now is whether this gamble will pay off. Being a customer team isn’t a death sentence—just look at McLaren. They use Mercedes engines and are fighting for championships. However, it does mean Alpine has to step up their game at the factory in Enstone. They are going to be directly benchmarked against Williams and McLaren. If Alpine finishes behind them while using the exact same Mercedes hardware, it will be a tough pill to swallow. With celebrity investors like Ryan Reynolds still involved, and the pressure mounting from Renault to justify the continued expense of F1, 2026 is shaping up to be a make-or-break year. The Mercedes deal gives them a lifeline, but it’s up to Alpine to grab it and pull themselves back into the midfield fight. For now, we have a few years of transition to watch. Will the new engine partnership restore Alpine to glory? Or will they fade away into the background? One thing is for sure: with Gasly’s antics and Briatore’s ruthless decision-making, it certainly won’t be boring.

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