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Mecachrome SAS is a
precision engineering Precision engineering is a subdiscipline of electrical engineering, software engineering, electronics engineering, mechanical engineering, and optical engineering concerned with designing machines, fixtures, and other structures that have except ...
company based in France that operates in the aerospace, motor racing, energy and defence sectors.


History

Mecachrome was founded in 1937 in
Colombes Colombes () is a Communes of France, commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France, from the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris. In 2019, Colombes was the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 53rd largest city in France. ...
, France. As a precision engineering company, Mecachrome focus their business on aerospace, automotive, motor racing, defence and energy sectors designing and manufacturing high value-added parts, systems and structural assemblies. Mecachrome are known most famously for the manufacture of Formula One engines, designed by Renault for Formula One teams including Williams and Benetton during the 1990s. In 2003, Mecachrome moved its head office from France to
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
. In 2008, the company went public just prior to the global economic crisis. Their share price plunged from a high of $13.55 per share to 15 cents. By July 2008, Mecachrome made job cuts in both Canada and France with production moving to Canada due to excess capacity caused by delays to the
Boeing 787 The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is an American wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After dropping its unconventional Sonic Cruiser project, Boeing announced the conventional 7E7 on January 29, 2003, wh ...
, for which Mecachrome was a supplier. In November, the majority shareholding Casella family who were descendants of the original Mecachrome founders, stepped aside. Christian Jacqmin was appointed CEO. At the end of 2008, Mecachrome completed their financial restructuring. In April 2014, Mecachrome signed a deal to supply to
Safran Safran S.A. () is a French Multinational corporation, multinational aerospace, defence industry, defence and computer security, security corporation headquartered in Paris. It designs, develops and manufactures both commercial and military airc ...
in the manufacture of the new LEAP engine to be used in a variety of Airbus, Boeing and COMAC aircraft. In 2015, Airbus announced Mecachrome as the manufacturer of nose landing gear bays for their new Beluga aircraft. Mecachrome already worked with Airbus on its A320, A330, A380 and A400M aircraft. In 2017, Mecachrome declared interest in providing a standardised "budget" engine for Formula One. This would have been in addition to their GP2 & GP3 engine supply deals. In April 2019, Christian Cornille took over as CEO of Mecachrome and targeted €1bn turnover. The company operates across 14 sites in Europe, North Africa and North America. In 2020, reported revenues were €220million. Mecachrome employ over 2,500 worldwide. In 2021, the company changed its corporate address from Amboise to
Blagnac Blagnac (; ) is a Communes of France, commune of the greater Toulouse area in the Haute-Garonne Departments of France, department in southwestern France. The city hosts the aviation museum Aeroscopia. It is the third-largest suburb of the city o ...
.


Aerospace

As of 2024, aerospace accounts for 56% of Mechachrome's international sales. They are primarily concerned with the manufacture of structural parts, such as wing spars, fuselage sections and sheet metal parts. Mechachrome's primary business partners include
Airbus Airbus SE ( ; ; ; ) is a Pan-European aerospace corporation. The company's primary business is the design and manufacturing of commercial aircraft but it also has separate Airbus Defence and Space, defence and space and Airbus Helicopters, he ...
,
Boeing The Boeing Company, or simply Boeing (), is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product support s ...
, Dassault and
Embraer Embraer S.A. () is a Brazilian multinational aerospace corporation. It develops and manufactures aircraft and aviation systems, and provides leasing, equipment, and technical support services. Embraer is the third largest producer of civil air ...
, working on both civilian and military aircraft such as the
Boeing 737 The Boeing 737 is an American narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Boeing Renton Factory, Renton factory in Washington (state), Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the t ...
and
Eurocopter Tiger The Eurocopter Tiger is a four-blade, twin-engine attack helicopter which first entered service in 2003. It is manufactured by Airbus Helicopters (formerly Eurocopter), which arose from the merger of Aérospatiale's and DASA's respective helico ...
. Furthermore, they are also involved in the manufacturing of parts for the
Dassault Rafale The Dassault Rafale (, literally meaning "gust of wind", or "burst of fire" in a more military sense) is a French Twinjet, twin-engine, Canard (aeronautics), canard delta wing, Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft designed and ...
, and its Snecma M88 engine. Mecachrome has acquired several specialist manufacturers and suppliers, most notably WeAre group in 2022, expanding its manufacturing capability. Through these acquisitions, Mecachrome has access to 20 manufacturing sites across 5 continents.WeAre Group and Mecachrome merger press release - https://www.mecachrome.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2022.08.29_Press-Release-MK_WeAre.pdf


Motor racing


Formula One


Association and collaboration with Renault (1977-1986, 1989-2025)

Since 1977 until present, Mecachrome has been involved with
Renault Sport Renault Sport () or Renaultsport, was a motorsport, performance and special vehicles division for Renault-badged cars and later a sub-badge of Renault cars managed by Automobiles Alpine, Alpine. The first Renault Sport was officially established ...
, the motorsport division of Renault (though today Renault Sport's F1 operations are conducted through Renault Sport F1, a separate group company). From , Renault began to supply other teams with engines; Mecachrome being given the responsibility of preparing and assembling the engines for these customer teams such as Lotus-Renault in 1983 and Ligier-Renault in 1984. In 1985, Renault withdrew from Formula One as a constructor and from engine supply for the 1987 season. In 1989, Renault returned to F1 as an engine supplier to
WilliamsF1 Williams Racing, legally known as Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited and competing as Atlassian Williams Racing, is a British Formula One team and constructor. It was founded by Frank Williams (1942–2021) and Patrick Head. The team w ...
(and Ligier from 1992) with Mecachrome again responsible for preparing the engines for the team. Renault engines powered Williams and Benetton to six consecutive Constructors' World Championships between 1992 and 1997 and five Drivers' titles with
Nigel Mansell Nigel Ernest James Mansell (; born 8 August 1953) is a British former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Mansell won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Williams, and won 31 Grands Prix across 15 seasons ...
(1992),
Alain Prost Alain Marie Pascal Prost (; born 24 February 1955) is a French former racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed "the Professor", Prost won four Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles and� ...
(1993),
Michael Schumacher Michael Schumacher (; born 3 January 1969) is a German former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to and from to . Schumacher won a record-setting seven Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, tied by Lewis Hamilton in ...
(1995), Damon Hill (1996) and
Jacques Villeneuve Jacques Joseph Charles Villeneuve (; born 9 April 1971) is a Canadian former racing driver, who competed in IndyCar from 1994 PPG Indy Car World Series, 1994 to 1995 PPG Indy Car World Series, 1995, and Formula One from to . Villeneuve won t ...
(1997). In 1995, Benetton acquired Ligier's stock of Renault V10 engines (same specifications as Williams). In 1996, Renault was privatised and announced its withdrawal from Formula One after the 1997 season. In order to avoid protests by shareholders regarding the costs of engine development, Mecachrome agreed to pay Renault for the development work in order to continue the relationship. The 1998 engines supplied to Williams carried the Mecachrome name while Benetton's engines were badged as
Playlife Playlife (stylised in reverse mirrored words) was a fashion company based in Treviso, Italy. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of the Benetton Group. History In July 1997, Benetton Group acquired a 57% stake in Benetton Sportsystem from Edizion ...
. In 1998, Flavio Briatore's company, Super Performance Competition Engineering, signed a distribution agreement with Mecachrome to begin in the 1999 season. The engines were purchased and rebadged as Supertec. Supertecs powered Williams in 1999, BAR in 1999 and Arrows in 2000. Supertec also continued to power Benetton under the Playlife brand. In 2001, Renault returned to Formula One by purchasing the Benetton team with the Renault-designed engines carrying again the Renault name. The relationship remained unchanged with Renault responsible for research and design, assembly, preparation, maintenance, trackside support and also tune-up; this relationship helped Renault win constructors' and driver's F1 championships in 2005 and 2006 with
Fernando Alonso Fernando Alonso Díaz (; born 29 July 1981) is a Spanish racing driver who competes in Formula One for Aston Martin in Formula One, Aston Martin. Alonso has won two Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won in and with ...
. Mecachrome-assembled Renault engines powered the
Red Bull Racing Red Bull Racing, currently competing as Oracle Red Bull Racing and also known simply as Red Bull or RBR, is a Formula One racing team, List of Formula One constructors#Team's nationality, competing under an Austrian racing licence and based in ...
Formula One team to the Constructors' Championship and Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel to the World Drivers' Championship in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. During the start of enhanced hybrid turbocharged power unit regulations, once again Mecachrome helped Renault Energy F1 hybrid power unit build, development, assembly and tune-up for 2014 season onwards. Due to the lack of success and unreliability of their engines since the beginning of the V6 turbo-hybrid era in
2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
, on 29 September 2024, Renault announced that it would be ending its works engine programme and would therefore cease to provide engines for Alpine after 2025, when revised engine regulations are set to be introduced in 2026 thereby ending Mecachroome's long standing collobation with Renault in Formula One. Groupe Renault CEO
Luca de Meo Luca de Meo (born 13 June 1967) is an Italian automotive executive who is the former CEO of Renault Group. On June 15, 2025, it was announced that he will leave Renault to take over the leadership of the Kering group. Early life and education B ...
has stated financial reasons as the main reason behind ending the programme, claiming that it would be cheaper to purchase a power unit from another manufacturer than continue to develop one in-house.


Future

In May 2025 various media sources reported that Mecachrome had signed a deal to stay in Formula One by being an engine parts supplier.


GP2 Series/FIA Formula 2 Championship

In 2005, the
GP2 Series The GP2 Series was a form of open wheel motor racing introduced in 2005 following the discontinuation of the long-term Formula One feeder series, Formula 3000. The GP2 format was conceived by Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore, while Ecc ...
(now
FIA Formula 2 Championship The FIA Formula 2 Championship (F2) is a second-tier single-seater championship organized by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). Held on road racing, racing circuits, the championship was introduced in 2017, following the re ...
) was launched as the official feeder category to
Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
. As the brainchild of
Bernie Ecclestone Bernard Charles Ecclestone (born 28 October 1930) is a British business magnate, motorsport executive and former racing driver. Widely known in journalism as the "F1 Supremo", Ecclestone founded the Formula One Group in 1987, controlling the c ...
and Flavio Briatore, the new series was to be powered by Renault engines (badging only), and Mecachrome was tasked with their production. The engines were manufactured at the same base as the Renault F1 units in Aubigny, France with direction from Heini Mader in Switzerland. The company continued to provide engines and gearboxes for the GP2 Series in its second generation (2008–2010) whilst also supplying the new-for-2008 GP2 Asia Series with slightly detuned versions of the power unit which has been at the core of the GP2 Series since 2005. Since the 2011 season,
Renault Sport Renault Sport () or Renaultsport, was a motorsport, performance and special vehicles division for Renault-badged cars and later a sub-badge of Renault cars managed by Automobiles Alpine, Alpine. The first Renault Sport was officially established ...
no longer badge their Mecachrome engines due to
Renault Sport Renault Sport () or Renaultsport, was a motorsport, performance and special vehicles division for Renault-badged cars and later a sub-badge of Renault cars managed by Automobiles Alpine, Alpine. The first Renault Sport was officially established ...
focusing on their
Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
programme. The Mecachrome V8 GP2/F2 engines were jointly developed by Mecachrome and TEOS Engineering for design, tune-up, R&D, engine maintenance, arrangement and trackside support. The
GP2 Series The GP2 Series was a form of open wheel motor racing introduced in 2005 following the discontinuation of the long-term Formula One feeder series, Formula 3000. The GP2 format was conceived by Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore, while Ecc ...
/
FIA Formula 2 Championship The FIA Formula 2 Championship (F2) is a second-tier single-seater championship organized by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). Held on road racing, racing circuits, the championship was introduced in 2017, following the re ...
V8 engine formula specification was in use from 2005 and was retired following the 2017 season. New engine regulations with 620 hp 3,400 cc V6 single-turbocharged direct-injected engines, known as the Mecachrome V634 Turbo, which is a development of the naturally aspirated Mecachrome V634 used in the
GP3 Series The GP3 Series, or GP3 for short, was a single-seater motor racing series launched in 2010 as a feeder series for the GP2 Series, introduced by GP2 organiser Bruno Michel. GP3 followed the entire European leg of the Formula One series and the ...
, were introduced for 2018 along with a new Dallara F2 2018 chassis while TEOS Engineering renewed its subcontract relationship with Mecachrome on track in the
FIA Formula 2 Championship The FIA Formula 2 Championship (F2) is a second-tier single-seater championship organized by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). Held on road racing, racing circuits, the championship was introduced in 2017, following the re ...
for 2018 beyond. Dutch turbocharger company Van Der Lee Turbo Systems supplies the turbochargers for all FIA Formula 2 Championship engines.


GP3 Series/FIA Formula 3 Championship

In 2015 alongside the Dallara GP3/16 car launch, Mecachrome was selected as the official engine partner and supplier of
GP3 Series The GP3 Series, or GP3 for short, was a single-seater motor racing series launched in 2010 as a feeder series for the GP2 Series, introduced by GP2 organiser Bruno Michel. GP3 followed the entire European leg of the Formula One series and the ...
since 2016 season onwards. The Mecachrome V634 GP3/F3 engines are also jointly developed by Mecachrome and TEOS Engineering for design, tune-up, R&D, engine maintenance, arrangement, shared-production and trackside support. Despite the new Dallara F3 2019 car unveil, the current Mecachrome V634 which will be used by all FIA Formula 3 competitors will extend its service until at least the 2024 season.


World Endurance Championship

In 2017, Mecachrome partnered with Ginetta as an engine supplier for the G60-LT-P1 LMP1 Prototype, supplying the V634P1, a variant of the V634 F2 engine, which would also be turbocharged by Van Der Lee Turbo Systems. The Ginetta G60-LT-P1-AER, run by CEFC TRSM, was to compete in the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans and the full
2018–19 FIA World Endurance Championship The 2018–19 FIA World Endurance Championship was the seventh season of the FIA World Endurance Championship, an auto racing series co-organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO ...
. However, after withdrawing from the opening WEC round at Spa-Francorchamps and achieving a fifth in class result at Le Mans, which was in reality a 41st position result in the overall standings, Ginetta dropped the Mecachrome V634P1 in favour of the AER P60B engines. This was done due to a performance deficit from the turbo V6 engine, and the lack of response to calls for a development programme from Mecachrome Motorsport, with the stated aim being to unlock the true performance of the chassis. Mecachrome Motorsport responded to Ginetta's announcement soon afterwards, also revealing that it intended to continue its LMP1 engine programme, although it has yet to find any customers to run the engine in any chassis since. Ginetta technical director Ewan Baldry later responded to Mecachrome's claims, acknowledging that while the engine utilised at Le Mans was a first specification engine, the engine was underpowered and did not meet the contractually agreed performance targets. From the 2024 WEC season onward, Mecachrome provided the engines for the two Alpine-entered A424s, supplying a heavily modified version of the V634 engine used in FIA Formula 2. At the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans, both Alpines retired with engine issues: the #35 entry stopped at Arnage after five hours with smoke blowing out of the car, whilst the #36 ended their race in the pits during hour 6.


Complete Formula One World Championship results

( key) (results in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)


References


Profile at grandprix.com


External links


Company Homepage
* {{usurped,
Mecachrome Motorsport Homepage
} Engine manufacturers of France Formula One engine manufacturers Renault Manufacturing companies based in Toulouse Manufacturing companies established in 1937 French companies established in 1937