Alpine had been going through a management crisis for well over a year before Flavio Briatore joined them in 2024. His presence, however, did not do much to dissipate the rumors suggesting Alpine’s exit from F1.
The team’s bosses faced the same question before he did. And apparently, the Italian manager was subjected to the exact same query during his earlier association with Renault in 2005. Setting the record straight once and for all, Briatore refuted the presence of any such plan for Alpine.
“I don’t understand these speculations. Ever since I’ve been at Renault, the same questions have always been asked. When we won the world championship title in 2005 and 2006, I was asked whether Renault wanted to stay in Formula 1,” he told Auto Motor und Sport.
The reason such rumors resurfaced was the team’s decision to shut down its engine manufacturing unit. Until they announced the deal with Mercedes to buy their power units, some members of the media and a section of the fans were under the impression that Renault was looking to sell the Alpine F1 team.
BREAKING: Alpine announce they will switch to a Mercedes-Benz Power Unit and Gearbox from 2026#F1 pic.twitter.com/WZDSyzfn2a
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 12, 2024
As Briatore clears the air on the team’s stay, the French F1 fans can breathe a sigh of relief. Alpine managed to turn the 2024 season around with a string of positive results towards the latter stages of the campaign.
As young talent Jack Doohan joins the experienced Pierre Gasly for 2025, fans would love to see the momentum from last year carry over.
Briatore sets his eyes on the crucial 2026 season
Alpine will continue using in-house manufactured engines for the 2025 season. The Mercedes engines will arrive in 2026, built in compliance with the new set of regulations. That season will also mark the start of a new era in F1, one which Alpine has trusted Briatore with to turn their fortunes.
“The truth is: I always got what I needed for the job from Renault. They appreciate that I’m careful with their money. I believe in efficiency. That’s why I’m saving money everywhere in the areas that don’t make my car faster,” he said, justifying the decision to choose Mercedes engines over Alpine’s.
Delivering a brutal reality check, Briatore cleared that the team was not going to win with their own engines. That forced him to make the tough decision of signing a power unit deal with Mercedes. What remains to be seen is if he can pull off what McLaren has already managed to: win the championship with a customer Mercedes engine.
