Mercedes has spent the recent past watching Red Bull Racing dismantle the dominance they once owned, largely thanks to Max Verstappen and supporting contributions from Sergio Pérez. The Austrian outfit claimed multiple Drivers' and Constructors' titles during that stretch, while the Silver Arrows were left watching a rival's golden era unfold from the sidelines.

That narrative has changed dramatically in 2026. Mercedes currently leads both World Championships following the Miami Grand Prix, with their advantage at the top of both standings continuing to grow. But the team is well aware that sustaining this lead over a full season requires more than incremental car upgrades — it demands a structural rethinking of how they operate at the top level of the sport.

One of the ideas reportedly being explored at Brackley involves replicating the infrastructure model that has served Red Bull so effectively: operating a second team within the Formula 1 ecosystem. Racing Bulls functions as Red Bull's feeder outfit, providing their young talents with race experience and feeding four cars' worth of development data back into a single technical operation.

Mercedes is said to be eyeing a purchase of the Alpine outfit as a way to build something similar. But they may not be alone in that pursuit. The arrival of Cadillac on the grid sparked renewed interest from major automotive manufacturers, and another heavyweight has since reportedly entered the conversation: BYD, the Japanese industrial giant.

According to UOL, one of Brazil's most prominent media outlets, the Japanese manufacturer has reportedly set its sights on both the Alpine team and one of its most strategically valuable assets. A source cited by the outlet stated that BYD was also interested in acquiring the Viry-Châtillon factory where Renault previously built its Formula 1 power units.

The same source suggested that Flavio Briatore's influence at Alpine was already effectively limited — indicating that his mandate extended only through the end of the current year and was confined to day-to-day team operations rather than any structural or long-term decisions.

At the core of everything, the outlet pointed to a fundamental question that Renault's corporate leadership must answer: does the company want to remain in Formula 1 at all? The source recalled that even during Alonso's championship-winning years at the team, there were already internal conversations about Renault's long-term commitment to the sport — a tension that has clearly never been fully resolved.

The answer to that question could reshape the grid as we know it.

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