F1 team boss reveals 'secret six months of negotiations' after signing Mercedes star

Flavio Briatore has hailed Alpine's signing of former Mercedes technical director Mike Elliott, revealing that a long 'secret negotiation' was necessary to bring the Brit back to the F1 fold.

Elliott has not worked in F1 since he left the Silver Arrows back in 2023, but was announced as Alpine's new chief technical officer last week as the team look to build on an intermittently promising 2026.

Briatore told Corriere dello Sport that his experience working with the best technical minds in the sport – at which point he namedropped Ross Brawn, Pat Symonds and James Allison – has taught him that a top level name is vital for the development of any organisation's technical team.

Elliott actually replaced Allison as Mercedes' technical director in 2021, most notably spearheading the team's controversial and ultimately fruitless 'zeropod' design, before being replaced by Allison again in April 2023. Sidepods were reintroduced to the car the following month, and Elliott left the team in October.

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Briatore: Elliott negotiation was tough

Briatore told the Italian newspaper that it took him the best part of half a year to convince Elliott to exchange 'not working in F1' for 'working in F1, but for Alpine', saying: "It was tough – a secret negotiation that lasted six months.

"He was won over by a very aggressive development program. I’ve worked with Ross Brawn, Pat Symonds, and James Allison; I know you need a first-rate technical expert to grow and to attract other engineers to the team."

In a short statement announcing Elliott's hiring last week, Alpine said that he will 'lead and oversee the technical and engineering functions at the team’s factory at Enstone'.

"He has a proven track record in the sport," they added, "having contributed to an impressive eight constructors’ and eight drivers’ championships. Elliott’s arrival at Enstone strengthens the team’s technical capabilities as the team looks to build on the improved performances on track and close the gap to the top four teams."

At the time of his departure from Mercedes in 2023, Elliott said: “I have decided that now is the right time to make my next step beyond Mercedes – first to pause and take stock, after 23 years of working flat-out in this sport, and then to find my next challenge.

"I would like to thank my team-mates for a fantastic 12 seasons together and wish them every success for the years to come.”

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