The team has a long history, first competing in Formula One in 1981 as Toleman, when the team was based in Witney, England. In 1986, following its purchase by Benetton Group, it was renamed and competed as Benetton. As Benetton, it won the 1995 Constructors' Championship and its driver, Michael Schumacher, won two Drivers' Championships in 1994 and 1995. Prior to the 1992 season, it moved to its current location in Enstone, UK.
By the 2000 season, Renault had purchased the team for the first time, and by the 2002 season its name was changed to Renault F1 Team. Renault won the Constructors' Championship in 2005 and 2006 and its driver, Fernando Alonso, won the Drivers' Championships in the same two years. In 2011, Lotus Cars came on board as a sponsor, and the team's name changed to Lotus Renault GP. By 2012, Genii Capital had a majority stake in the team, and from 2012 until 2015 the team's name was Lotus F1 Team. At the end of 2015, Renault had taken over the team for a second time, renaming it to Renault Sport Formula One Team. The team raced as "Renault" again from 2016 until the end of the 2020 season. When discussing the history of the organisation as a whole, the colloquialism "Team Enstone" is generally used.
The involvement of the sportscar manufacturer Automobiles Alpine in Formula One can be traced back to 1968, when the Alpine A350 Grand Prix car was built, powered by a Gordini V8 engine. However, after initial testing with Mauro Bianchi at Circuit Zandvoort, the project was ended. In 1975, the company produced the Alpine A500 prototype to test a 1.5 L V6 turbo engine for the Renault factory team which would eventually début in 1977. In September 2020, Groupe Renault announced their intention to use "Alpine" as their works team's new name going forward to promote the Alpine brand.
In June 2023, Renault Group sold a 24% stake in Alpine Racing Ltd to a consortium led by Otro Capital, RedBird Capital Partners and Maximum Effort Investments for €200 million. Additional minority investors joined the group later in 2023, including NFL players Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, golfer Rory McIlroy, footballers Trent Alexander-Arnold and Juan Mata, and former heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua. In 2025, Renault further adjusted Alpine Racing Ltd's ownership structure by selling an additional minority stake to new financial partners, reducing its shareholding to approximately 60%. This expanded investor group built on the earlier 2023 transaction.
For 2021, Alpine signed two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso. Esteban Ocon was retained from the 2020 Renault team. The Alpine car used Renault engines. Cyril Abiteboul was replaced by Davide Brivio. Alpine's first race ended with Alonso being forced to retire. Ocon was hit by Aston Martin driver, Sebastian Vettel. Despite a disappointing start, Alpine scored in the next fifteen races, including a victory for Ocon at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix. Alonso also scored a podium in the Qatar Grand Prix.
In January 2022, Marcin Budkowski and Alain Prost left their roles. Otmar Szafnauer was announced as the new team principal. Bruno Famin was recruited as executive director of Alpine at Viry-Châtillon. Oscar Piastri replaced Daniil Kvyat as test driver. In February 2022, BWT became the title sponsor of the team. Alonso qualified in second for the Canadian Grand Prix.
Alonso moved to Aston Martin for the 2023 season. Pierre Gasly signed a multiple-year contract with Alpine starting in 2023. In July 2023, Laurent Rossi was replaced by Philippe Krief as CEO. During the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, Alpine announced that Szafnauer and Alan Permane would leave the team. Pat Fry would also leave the team to join Williams. Alpine finished the season sixth in the Constructors' Championship.
Alpine retained the driver pairing of Gasly and Ocon for the 2024 season. At the Bahrain Grand Prix, the team locked out the bottom of the grid in qualifying. Matt Harman and Dirk de Beer left the team. Bob Bell left his advisory role. David Sanchez was signed as executive technical director. In May 2024, Flavio Briatore returned to the team as an executive advisor. Alpine scored their first points at the Miami Grand Prix where Ocon finished tenth. At the Monaco Grand Prix, Ocon collided with Gasly. A week later, Alpine announced that Ocon will leave the team at the end of the season. During the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, Bruno Famin left his role as team principal, taken by Oliver Oakes. Alpine scored a double podium at the 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix with Ocon finishing second and Gasly third. The day after the Qatar Grand Prix, Ocon was released from the team early. Jack Doohan made an early debut for the last round of the season at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
For 2025, Gasly was retained by the team. He was paired by Jack Doohan. Paul Aron, Franco Colapinto, Ryō Hirakawa, and Kush Maini were selected as test and reserve drivers. BP and Castrol left Alpine, so Eni and Valvoline joined the team. The 2025 season started poorly for Alpine, sitting bottom of the Constructors' Championship after the first three rounds in Australia, China and Japan. Gasly was disqualified from the Chinese Grand Prix due to his A525 chassis being underweight. Following the Miami Grand Prix, Oliver Oakes resigned, with Flavio Briatore becoming the de facto team principal. Doohan lost his Alpine seat to Colapinto on a "rotating seat" basis. Gasly suffered an early retirement in Monaco but scored a point in the subsequent Spanish Grand Prix. The team recorded three further finishes in the points in Britain, Belgium, and São Paulo.
On 30 September 2024, Renault announced it would be ending its engine programme following the conclusion of the 2025 championship. Alpine lost its status as a works team and became a customer team of Mercedes, whilst still being majority owned by Groupe Renault. Alpine utilised Mercedes engines and gearboxes from the 2026 season onwards. For 2026, Alpine retained Gasly, with Colapinto being signed for a full-time drive. On 27 May 2026, it was announced that Gucci would replace BWT as the title sponsor of the team from 2027 onwards, competing as Gucci Racing Alpine Formula One Team.
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