F1 chief bemoans DOUBLE driver loss in major team blow

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

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F1 chief bemoans DOUBLE driver loss in major team blow

Flavio Briatore made an unexpected return to F1 in 2024 with Alpine

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Sunday 15 December 2024 12:59 Updated: 19:53

A Formula 1 team advisor has blasted his own outfit in a stark admission over their driver lineup loss.

As the 2024 season concludes, every team on the grid bar one has confirmed their driver lineup for next year, although as ever, rumours are strife surrounding potential team switches and early contract exits across the paddock.

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Red Bull junior team Visa Cash App RB are the only constructor yet to confirm their official lineup, largely in part due to the uncertainty surrounding Sergio Perez's future at the main team alongside Max Verstappen.

Despite being contracted with Christian Horner's outfit until 2026, Perez's poor form throughout 2024 and a DNF at the season finale last weekend has led Red Bull to declare that they are reevaluating his future with the team, with an update on his F1 seat expected imminently.

As a result, junior team RB have not confirmed that Liam Lawson will stay on as Yuki Tsunoda's team-mate for 2025, with the young Kiwi star tipped to replace Perez should Red Bull axe him ahead of next year.

Red Bull still have to decide on Sergio Perez's F1 future

Alpine confirmed Flavio Briatore's F1 return in 2024

Flavio Briatore delivers brutal Alpine admission

One figure who certainly doesn't appear to be leaving the sport anytime soon is Alpine executive advisor Flavio Briatore, who made a controversial return to F1 in 2024 after being previously banned following the 'Crashgate' scandal.

In an exclusive interview with Auto Motor und Sport Briatore has revealed his hesitation at returning to the paddock after difficult dealings with Alpine in his role as Fernando Alonso's manager.

"I wasn't sure because so much has changed in Formula 1. We talked about the last few years at Alpine in a very non-committal way." Briatore explained.

Briatore is an Executive Advisor for the Alpine F1 division

"It took a lot of inability to lose two drivers like Fernando Alonso and Oscar Piastri in one summer," Briatore admitted, referring to a now infamous mishandling of driver announcements, where Alpine confirmed Piastri for their 2023 lineup, just for him to take to social media and deny the entire affair before signing with McLaren.

"Fernando wanted to stay because the season before wasn't that bad. We wanted to sign the contract in Canada. Then Laurent Rossi suddenly disappeared. We could no longer reach him.

"That was the moment when I started talking to Lawrence Stroll from Aston Martin. We even had an offer from Williams. I said to them: get your business in order first. In the end, we signed with Aston Martin because we couldn't get a green light with Alpine's management.

"The faults lay with the management. So I said to Luca [de Meo, Renault CEO], 'If I get full responsibility, I'll do it.'"

After a disastrous start to the season, Alpine went on to secure P6 in the constructors' standings in 2024.

The team will be looking ahead to 2025 with great optimism as Jack Doohan joins the grid full-time to partner Pierre Gasly.

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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Red Bull Formula 1 Sergio Perez