As Autosport reports, Renault has officially agreed to sell its legendary Viry-Châtillon engine facility to the Belgian company Dumarey Group. This massive shift comes after Renault pulled the plug on its in-house Formula 1 engine department at the end of last year, pivoting Alpine toward a customer deal with Mercedes and threatening the futures of hundreds of workers at the famous French site in the southern suburbs of Paris.
The purchasing firm, Dumarey Group, focuses on powertrain technology, development, and engineering components for mass-produced vehicles. According to an official statement, they are fully prepared to take control of the location. The acquisition proposal has already been handed over to Alpine Racing, and both sides are working diligently to analyze the entire organization and its financial aspects so they can move forward quickly.
Under the terms of the deal, Dumarey Group will acquire Alpine Racing SAS in Viry-Chatillon, along with the teams and all tangible and intangible assets required to run the site. Axel Plasse, VP Alpine Tech, called the transaction a strong and coherent opportunity to secure and further develop the site's expertise, noting that it opens new prospects for employees and the engineering business while honoring longstanding motorsport knowledge, particularly in Formula 1.
Dumarey Group emphasized that it is seeking to diversify its activities into motorsport, noting that the agreement creates opportunities to leverage Renault's F1 engine expertise for racing teams in the future. Viry had served as the heart of Renault's premier single-seater engine program for several decades, establishing itself as a vital hub for French motorsport before the abrupt corporate pivot.
The sale could also reshape Alpine's Hypercar programme in the World Endurance Championship. Alpine is exiting the championship at the end of the year, having relied on Viry to maintain and assemble the Mecachrome-built engines powering its A424 LMDhs. Factory partner Signatech has been keen to run the A424 under a different brand in 2027, though talks with Chinese brand Geely appeared to break down following last month's Fuji 6 Hours.
Time is ticking for the Hypercar future, with the entry deadline for the 2027 season set for 25 November, requiring all formal documentation to be finalized by then. Team principal Philippe Sinault has maintained for weeks that engineers, mechanics, and resources are fully in place to continue the A424 program next year. Organizing a fresh team effort also means sorting out the driver lineup—noting the departure of Antonio Felix da Costa—and locking in the personnel already tied to the program.
