F1 star calls boss Flavio Briatore an 'animal' as team expectations revealed

Young Alpine star Franco Colapinto has given a full-throated defence of controversial team executive Flavio Briatore.

The flamboyant Italian is famously hyper-competitive, with a ruthless streak a mile wide, but Colapinto insisted in a recent interview that teams like Alpine 'need' a figure like Briatore if they're to compete with the big boys.

The 23-year-old told Motorsport.com a story from earlier in the season at the Canadian Grand Prix to demonstrate Briatore's relentless drive for more, revealing that the team's 'executive advisor' [translation: team principal in all but name] was 'not happy at all' after the team picked up a good points haul for finishing sixth and eighth.

Colapinto went on to say that Briatore's style of putting pressure on his team even when things are going well is 'a way of succeeding in F1', adding that he believes he has a similar mentality to the 'competitive animal' running his team.

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Alpine star: You need a Flavio to catch Ferrari and Mercedes

"I believe in his process," the Argentine said. "You have to understand him. But I think to succeed in F1 and to achieve the goal that every midfield team has – to catch Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes and McLaren – you need someone like Flavio."

He continued: "We finished P6 and P8 in Canada, those were amazing points for the team, but after the race Flavio was not happy at all and kept pushing the team. He was almost the most unhappy person within the whole team.

"That was because of how far off Ferrari we were compared to Miami. He wanted to understand why that was. Everyone was really happy with the points, but he was like, no no, I want more. I don't like where we are and Racing Bulls is too close to us as well. They are closer than they were in Miami, so why is that happening? I want answers and I want to improve more."

"To put that pressure on the team, even when things go right, it's his way of leading the team. And in my personal view, it's a way of succeeding in F1 and catching the top teams.

"Flavio is a competitive animal. He only came back to Formula 1 to win and I really appreciate that because I'm the same."

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