Briatore doubles down on Verstappen Alpine signing bid

Alpine F1 executive Flavio Briatore has joked that he wants to have two Max Verstappen's in his Alpine cars, amid a disappointing season for the Enstone-based outfit.

Verstappen's long-term commitment to Red Bull has been questioned in recent months, with the team no longer providing him with a car capable of challenging for the world championship.

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Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko recently said that Verstappen's future is of 'great concern' to the team, while also saying that there are performance-based exit clauses in his current contract - which is supposed to run until 2028.

While Mercedes and Aston Martin have been the teams most closely linked with acquiring the services of the four-time world champion, Briatore has thrown his team's hat in the ring, while talking about who is the best driver of all-time.

"I don’t know about of all-time, because we’ve had Schumacher, Senna, Alonso," he told Corriere Della Sera. "Right now, the number one is definitely Max Verstappen."

When asked which drivers he would like to complete his driver lineup at Alpine, Briatore replied: "Two Verstappens - because I’ve got two cars."

Who will race for Alpine in 2026?

Like Red Bull, Alpine's driver lineup is far from settled ahead of new regulations sweeping into the sport in 2026.

Pierre Gasly is currently contracted until the end of the 2026 season, but the second seat appears to be up for grabs for several drivers.

Australian rookie Jack Doohan held the seat for the first six races of 2025, but failed to impress, and it has since been given to 22-year-old Argentine Franco Colapinto - who shone while debuting with Williams in 2024.

Briatore has given Colapinto three rules 'be fast, don't crash, and score points,' while reiterating that the team are hoping to try out several drivers in 2025 to try and get the right driver pairing for 2026.

A number of more experienced drivers are currently looking for a way back into the sport - in the shape of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez - and Briatore may look to one of them if he doesn't find stability with either Colapinto or Doohan.

However, it seems Briatore only has his eyes set on the best of the best, with Verstappen's services potentially available beyond the end of this current season.

READ MORE: World champion driver makes surprise return after secret F1 team test

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