Approximately 100 employees from Alpine's Formula One engine programme plan to attend Friday's practice at the Italian Grand Prix to protest against the company's decision to end its F1 power unit project in 2026.

Alpine, owned by Renault, currently uses engines built in Viry-Châtillon, France. However, in July, the company announced it would stop producing its own power units after 2025 and switch to customer engines starting in 2026. A final decision regarding the future of Viry-Châtillon is expected on Sept. 30, with Alpine in talks with Mercedes to supply engines.

Two groups of employees from Viry-Châtillon will be positioned in the grandstands along the main straight and at the exit of Parabolica. They will hold a banner with a "clear and non-aggressive message, advocating for the retention of a French engine in F1." The participants will be dressed in white T-shirts featuring the French team's logo and the hashtag #ViryOnTrack, along with black armbands.

The Works Council expressed frustration in a statement, saying, "We do not understand what justifies killing this elite F1 entity that is the Viry-Châtillon site and betraying its legacy and DNA by implanting a Mercedes heart or any other into our Alpine F1."

Both drivers, Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon, are distancing themselves from the situation and as they told media, they are fully focused to deliver a good result for the team, which is what is the most important for them. 

In response, Alpine acknowledged the planned activities and confirmed they would be peaceful and not disrupt team operations. The company added that the transformation project is still under review, and discussions with Viry employees will continue in the coming weeks.