It has just been a few weeks since Flavio Briatore has returned to F1 and he already seems to be working his magic. According to Italian report Gazzetta Motori, Briatore has convinced Carlos Sainz to join Alpine next year. If the Spaniard does end up moving to Alpine, this move would come as a big shock as the French outfit are currently struggling.
However, Briatore seems to have proposed to Sainz a plan for the future that will help the Enstone outfit bounce back when the new regulations kick in from the 2026 season onwards. One of Alpine’s plans is to replace their Renault power unit with Mercedes engines.
Since the 2026 regulations will mostly focus on engines, the report claims that Alpine has decided to partner with Mercedes, who dominated the turbo-hybrid era from 2014 to 2021. With it seeming likely that Alpine will have a resurgence with Mercedes engines, Sainz seems to have decided to join them despite not receiving the most lucrative deal from them.
⚠️ | Gazetta dello Sport reports that Carlos Sainz is set to move to Alpine.
The arrival of Flavio Briatore as Excecutive Advisor and Alpine switching to Mercedes engines in 2026 has reportedly convinced him to join to the French outfit.
Would this be a good move for the… pic.twitter.com/0x6zf6AITy
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) July 5, 2024
As per the same report, Sauber, which will become Audi from 2026 onwards, offered Sainz a three-year contract with a higher figure than what Alpine proposed. Meanwhile, another reason why the 29-year-old could be tempted to join Alpine is that the French outfit already seem to be having a minor resurgence this season after a disastrous start to the 2024 campaign.
Alpine have consistently been scoring points recently
There is no secret that Alpine had a disastrous start to the 2024 campaign as they failed to score a point after the first five races. Esteban Ocon then scored his first point of the season in Miami before Pierre Gasly scored his first point in Monaco.
It was only in Canada that both drivers managed to finish in the points for the first time this season with a P9-10 finish and then repeated the same result in Spain.
Such a resurgence from Alpine seems to have been made possible most likely because of the upgrade package they introduced in Miami. It is this resurgence that seems to have convinced Sainz that Alpine is the right destination for him after he leaves Ferrari at the end of this year.
Meanwhile, other teams that Sainz had links with included Mercedes, Sauber/Audi, Williams, and Haas. However, none of these teams other than Mercedes perhaps seemed appealing to a driver of Sainz’s caliber.
The problem with Mercedes came as the two parties could not agree on the length of a contract. Sainz was looking for a long-term contract, whereas the Silver Arrows were keen to sign someone for the short term as they have Andrea Kimi Antonelli in their wings.
However, with Sainz looking for more stability in his long-term future, he did not want to sign a short-term deal with Mercedes.
