Flavio Briatore Drops Major Hint On Alpine 2025 Driver Line-Up

Flavio Briatore has returned to the Formula 1 paddock in an advisory capacity at Alpine. This move comes after a significant hiatus, with Briatore’s last F1 role ending in a notorious exit from Renault in 2008 due to the ‘Crashgate’ scandal. Despite these past indiscretions and a subsequent temporary ban, Renault’s CEO, Luca de Meo, has reinstated Briatore, aiming to revitalize a team that’s been lagging in performance.

With Esteban Ocon’s upcoming departure from Alpine at the end of the year and persistent speculation about Pierre Gasly’s future with the team post-2024, Briatore’s insights in a recent interview with Gazzetta dello Sport have sparked intrigue. Though no formal contracts for 2025 have been signed, Briatore hinted at a continued association with Gasly, stating, as quoted and translated by The Mirror:

“[The driver line-up] is not the priority now. The most important thing is to make the car competitive. Otherwise no driver can make a difference. I do have a shortlist of names to evaluate, but we have Gasly in the short-term anyway.”

This statement not only emphasizes the primary concern with enhancing car performance but also subtly confirms Gasly’s position, at least in the near term. With the spotlight on making a more competitive vehicle, the French team’s strategy appears to pivot significantly towards technical advancements before locking down their future driver lineup.

The void left by Ocon and the uncertainty surrounding Gasly’s long-term commitment have foregrounded several potential candidates to join Alpine. Promising talents like the team’s reserve driver Jack Doohan and World Endurance Championship driver Mick Schumacher, along with Zhou Guanyu, known for his potential sponsorship allure, are all in the running.

Beyond Alpine’s immediate sphere, Gasly’s burgeoning profile has attracted attention from other teams such as Sauber, indicating a possible bidding war if his performance continues to impress. This external interest could play a crucial role in Alpine’s negotiation dynamics and future team decisions. Briatore continued:

“We will quietly see who will be his team-mate. We are following many young drivers, I’m not going to say who, but they are very good. First we have to make the car faster and easier, then we’ll think about the drivers.”

Alpine, under the overarching banner of Renault, has framed the return of Briatore as part of a broader strategy to reclaim a competitive edge in Formula 1. As Renault pioneers this transformation, their commitment to reforming both leadership and technical prowess under Briatore’s guidance is clear.