Renault F1 employees prepare fresh protest

Employees of the Viry factory at Renault are planning another protest against the company’s plans to halt its F1 engine plans.

Earlier this year it emerged that Renault was looking to stop its construction and supply of power units to its Alpine F1 squad.

Instead, as a cost-saving measure, it has been heavily linked with a switch to Mercedes power units as early as next year.

The employees from Viry staged a protest at Monza earlier this month, with Groupe Renault CEO Luca de Meo entering into talks with the activists.

In a statement by the protesters released to L’Equipe, the employees thanked de Meo for meeting with them.

“Following the meeting with Mr. de Meo, Alpine Racing staff representatives would like to thank Renault Group management for the opportunity to discuss and the quality of the discussions during this meeting,” read the statement. 

“The efforts and concrete proposals made by the Viry-Châtillon delegation seem to have resonated with management, which is continuing its reflection on maintaining F1 activities on the French site.”

A decision over Renault’s engine involvement is expected at the end of this month. With no resolution, L’Equipe reports further protests are planned for the coming days.

The statement added: “As things stand the threat of a halt to F1 engine development in France remains current, the risk of losing unique know-how persists, at the very moment when the industry in France needs to support its talents and consolidate its national collaborative network.”