Flavio Briatore 'set for F1 exit' as Christian Horner and BYD plot team takeover

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

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Flavio Briatore 'set for F1 exit' as Christian Horner and BYD plot team takeover

The 24 per cent stake in Alpine has interest from multiple parties

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Tuesday 19 May 2026 12:54

Alpine F1 boss Flavio Briatore's days are reportedly numbered at the team as interest in the Enstone outfit swells from Christian Horner and BYD.

The axed Red Bull boss has long since been linked with Alpine, in particular because the project fulfils his requirement of having some kind of ownership in an F1 enterprise, with Otro Capital's 24 per cent stake in the team up for sale.

There were even rumours that the Englishman could be interested in a takeover to form his very own team, but he is far from being the only interested party.

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Mercedes are also interested in purchasing a portion of Alpine, a possibility that has stirred much controversy in the paddock.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown recently penned a letter to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, warning against A and B teams in F1, fearing that a potential purchase of Alpine from Mercedes could result in a similar scenario to Red Bull and Racing Bulls.

The next year could be one of upheaval for Alpine F1 team, owned by the Renault Group, particularly if one report proves true.

What will happen to Alpine in F1?

Speaking on the Pole Position show for Canal UOL, columnist Julianne Cerasoli made the bold claim that Briatore, who serves as Alpine's executive advisor and de facto team principal, will leave the team next year.

She said: "Flavio Briatore can forget about it. His days are numbered; he should stay until the end of the year, but he shouldn't be making those decisions, only dealing with day-to-day team matters.

"It's more a question of Renault, from the top management, deciding whether or not they want to stay in Formula 1. I don't know if you remember, but when Fernando Alonso was winning championships, there was already talk that Renault didn't believe in Formula 1 and wasn't going to stay."

Alongside predicting Briatore's exit, Cerasoli also suggested it's not just Horner and Mercedes who are interested in the stake sale, but also Chinese automotive giants BYD.

Stella Li, BYD's vice president, met with F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali in Shanghai earlier this year, where she revealed the brand's intent to enter Formula 1 in some capacity, whether as a 12th team or through partial ownership.

Horner was also spotted at a BYD event at the Cannes Film Festival, and is reported to have met with the company's CEO Wang Chuanfu, intensifying rumours he could return to the paddock with the brand.

Cerasoli continued: "Interestingly, this BYD conversation came at the same time as the Mercedes talk, as if it were a counter-attack. Mercedes isn't the only one interested; Christian Horner's investment group is also considering entering the Alpine market."

"This is cyclical at Renault. It's a more complicated company than others because it has government participation, it's a mixed capital company, all the decisions are much more complicated to make there.

"You can't predict what will happen, sometimes everything points to one way out and they backtrack. But being Renault and being in Formula 1 using another manufacturer's engine, to me, doesn't make sense."

F1 Mercedes Christian Horner Alpine Flavio Briatore