Flavio Briatore believes that Alpine need to have a competitive year in 2026 and “at least sometimes see the podium” if they are to move towards his target of challenging for wins and potentially championships beyond that.
It is nearly one year since Briatore returned to Formula 1 as Executive Advisor at the Enstone-based squad, marking one of a number of organisational changes that have taken place at Alpine in recent years.
When asked during the Spanish Grand Prix weekend to give his assessment of how the team had fared in the time since his return, the Italian admitted that the squad need more time to put everything together.
“We’re back in the business, with Alpine,” Briatore explained. “Not easy because the team has gone through a lot of change, especially in the last four or five years, not only now. But little by little, we try to put the team together, the people together.
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“We’re looking for next year as well – for the new engine and the new gearbox from Mercedes-Benz. So, this is our goal for next year. In the meantime, we need to be more competitive. We are not competitive for the moment, like I want, but [it] takes time.”
Seated alongside Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner in the press conference, Briatore continued: “You see this maestro next to me, it takes a lot of time to build a winning car, a winning race, a winning team. I know I’ve done it before. I hope I’ll do it again.”
Having recently suggested that he wanted the team to be challenging for victories and titles in 2027, Briatore was pushed on whether Alpine have everything they need in order to do that.
“You need a dream as well, you know,” he responded. “When you are in Formula 1, you’re dreaming as well to do the job. You hope. And in this moment, the team is quite new. The team is not performing like I wanted because we still have… a lot of the situation in the team is not clear.
“But we need to clear up everything. Before we start performing like I want, I believe we need all of 2025 now, and we need 2026 to be competitive, to at least sometimes see the podium very close. These are what we’re looking for.
‘I’m very optimistic… let me dream!’ – Briatore targeting wins in 2026 and a title tilt for Alpine in 2027
“And why not 2027? We see what happened to Red Bull. We see what happened to everybody else. Depends as well on what kind of driver we have in 2027.”
Another challenge currently facing Alpine is the recruitment of a new Team Principal following Oliver Oakes’ resignation in May, meaning that Briatore is covering the duties of the role in the interim.
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In terms of how far the team are through the process of finding a replacement, Briatore said: “We’re looking. For the moment, nothing changed. I feel sorry for Ollie, honestly, because I had a very good relationship with him. He was a good team principal.
“Everybody knows for personal reasons he stopped and resigned from Alpine. We’re looking. We don’t want to make any mistake. I’m prepared to take some time. But the moment we decide what is the new team manager, put in this way, we’ll tell you.”
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