Controversial F1 figure Flavio Briatore issues SHOCK driver line-up warning

Flavio Briatore and Christian Horner embrace on the grid — Photo: © IMAGO

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Controversial F1 figure issues SHOCK driver line-up warning

Alpine have recently hired a new team principal

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Tuesday 20 August 2024 10:57

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New Alpine F1 executive adviser, Flavio Briatore, has made a shock admission about his team's driver lineup.

Lewis Hamilton's stunning switch to Ferrari announced at the beginning of 2024 sent the driver market into overdrive, with a host of driver transfers happening since then.

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The displaced Carlos Sainz has joined Williams for 2025, Nico Hulkenberg will team up with Sauber (soon to be Audi), and Esteban Ocon has decided to move to Haas, having been dropped by the underperforming Alpine team.

The Enstone-based outfit are suffering a tumultuous period, having three team principals within the space of a year, as well as multiple key staff members deciding to leave following a start to 2024 in which they looked to be the worst performing team.

Who will drive for Alpine in 2025?

Since then, things have started to look up, with the team hiring Flavio Briatore as their executive advisor, Oliver Oakes as their team principal, and Pierre Gasly and Ocon beginning to pick up regular points on track.

With Ocon heading towards the exit before 2025, Alpine are looking for a driver to partner Gasly for next season, and it's largely expected that Australian youngster Jack Doohan will be the man to do that.

However, Briatore has now suggested that it doesn't matter who partners Gasly, and that the team are more concerned about producing a better car for 2025.

The fiery Italian is a controversial figure within F1, having been involved in the 'Crashgate' scandal when team principal at Renault (Alpine's previous iteration).

"For me in this moment [the priority] is just the performance of the car," Briatore said on the Formula For Success podcast.

"You know, it’s just working the restructuring the team completely. If you have a good car, you need a good driver.

"If the car is not performing at this point, in this moment, I want to make sure we put all the energy in the technical side, and make sure the car at Alpine is looking better and improving for next year.

"And 2026, I believe, is when we see the new Alpine."

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