As Alpine navigates a period of upheaval, Flavio Briatore has defended the team’s decision to switch to Mercedes power from 2026.
Britatore insists it is necessary to get back to the front of the grid.
Briatore rejoined Alpine last year as a non-executive director and found himself in the spotlight when Renault announced its decision to discontinue its F1 engine programme.
However, the Italian insists the move was already in motion before his return.
Briatore clarifies Alpine’s engine switch
“The problem is the evidence,” Briatore stated regarding Renault’s F1 engine project. “Regarding the engine, it was decided already from the management, and for me it is fine. Whatever our chairman decides, fine. This was decided already, soon before I arrived in the team.”
Determined to distance himself from the decision, he added: “I am not the bad guy all the time… everything else you [can] blame me. Not this one.”
However, Briatore did play a key role in selecting Mercedes as the team’s engine and gearbox supplier from 2026 until at least 2030.
This arrangement also means Alpine will run Mercedes’ rear suspension, though there are plans to develop their own gearbox and suspension from 2027.
Briatore is confident that this is the right move for a team desperate to return to the podium’s top step, citing his strong relationship with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff as an influencing factor.
“Why shouldn’t we be able to win races in 2026?” he told Marca. “The car will be new for everyone.
“I want to win again, that’s why I came back to F1 and to do that you need everything to be competitive… and our engine is not.
“Then we chose Mercedes because I have a very good relationship with Toto [Wolff].”
Alpine’s recent woes
While Briatore is optimistic about the future, Alpine’s recent form tells a different story. The team has struggled for competitiveness in recent seasons, with their Renault power unit falling behind rivals in performance and reliability.
Despite occasional podium finishes, Alpine has failed to mount a sustained challenge against the frontrunners. The instability at the top, with frequent leadership changes and the departure of key figures, has only compounded their difficulties. The decision to abandon its in-house engine programme marks a significant shift as the team moves away from its work identity in an attempt to regain lost ground.
Briatore, who led Renault to championship success with Michael Schumacher in the mid-1990s and later with Fernando Alonso in 2005 and 2006, believes the team has already begun transforming.
“When I arrived at Enstone, my first impression was that it was a group of people producing a car.
“And they didn’t care if it was fast or slow. It was a job.
“Now, you see the difference, there is passion. Last night I was in the factory until 11:30 at night and there were 80 or 90 people there.
“It’s back to being a racing team.”
A new leader at the helm
Briatore is also full of praise for Alpine’s team principal Oliver Oakes, who took over in 2024.
“Oliver is young, ambitious and knows the racing business because he was a [world karting champion] driver.
“He lives next to the factory: he gets up and he’s already there. That’s the kind of spirit that is now at Alpine.”
While Alpine faces an uphill battle to return to the sharp end of the grid, Briatore’s confidence in the Mercedes partnership suggests that 2026 could mark a turning point.
Whether it will be enough to restore the team to its former glory remains to be seen.
Feature Image Credit: @AlpineF1Team | X
