Alpine are facing awkward scenes at the Italian Grand Prix this weekend with around 100 members of the staff at the Renault base in Viry-Chatillon reportedly striking over the future of their power units.

The French outfit is planning a move away from Renault power units with Luca de Meo and Flavio Briatore considering signing a deal with Mercedes ahead of the 2026 technical regulation changes.

This move would result in significant job cuts at the Renault engine facility in Viry-Chatillon, which has powered the team since their return to F1, and even supplied for Red Bull before their transition to Honda power units.

In response, the Social and Economic Council of Alpine employees put together a statement slamming De Meo’s management and his decision to scrap the project without consulting employees.

A protest is also planned at the Monza circuit this weekend with a slew of Alpine employees reportedly taking to the grandstands with t-shirts in a coordinated display.

On Thursday, Alpine released a statement in response to the action. They noted: “We are aware of some activities planned this weekend… We understand from their communication these will be peaceful protests and will not impact team operations.

“The transformation project is still being evaluated, no decision has been taken yet by Alpine’s management. The dialogue, which opened since the project was presented to employee representatives in July, is important to Alpine management and will be pursued in the coming weeks.”

When the protests were pitted to the drivers, there was a clear desire for a solution. “It is, from what I heard, some peaceful protests,” said Ocon. “People want to talk, obviously, which is completely normal. And I hope that there will be some conversations between the parties.”

Team-mate Pierre Gasly added: “I understand all parties. At the end of the day, hopefully everyone will come out of it with a good option.”