When Flavio Briatore joined Alpine last year, it was clear he would be central in determining the team’s direction.
Renault CEO Luca de Meo entrusted Briatore with addressing the team’s limitations and transforming them into a front-running team.
Aside from the team’s double-podium in Brazil, it cannot be said Alpine have been especially competitive over the last twelve months.
This year in particular has been difficult for the Enstone team, who are currently second to last in the F1 standings.
Irrespective of the team’s current fortunes, Flavio Briatore continues to set aggressive targets.
Briatore sets medium-term expectations for Alpine
Since Renault rebranded to become Alpine in 2021, there have been relatively frequent changes in the team’s senior management.
Team principals (Abiteboul, Budkowski, Szafnauer, Rossi, Oakes) have entered and left the doors of Enstone more than any other F1 team.
For obvious reasons, this instability has been attributed to the team’s failure to become front-runners.
To some degree, there is merit to this perspective.
The French outfit’s leaders are historically replaced before they can implement any of their desired changes.
At the same time, nothing has fundamentally changed at Alpine across these senior changes.
Resources are not necessarily an issue for Alpine, especially in the context of F1’s budget cap.
Instead, their biggest limitations are their infrastructure and personnel, which still lag behind other teams.
Even other midfield squads, such as Aston Martin and Williams, have been more aggressive in investing for the future.
With this in mind, it will take more than a new team principal to change Alpine’s fortunes.
Still, Flavio Briatore (Executive Advisor and acting team principal since Oakes’ departure) insists that Alpine can make rapid progress:
“In 2026, we can win races, I guarantee it,” he told Le Monde, per ESPN.
“And in 2027, we want to be title contenders.
“The easiest way to win is to sign Max Verstappen, but we can’t. So we have to work with what we’ve got.
“Choosing to switch to Mercedes power was a very difficult decision, but in this sport, to win, you need to have the same tools as the others.
“For a million reasons rooted in the past, we were at a disadvantage in that area.”
Can Alpine make the necceesary changes?
From a medium-term perspective, it will be curious to see how Alpine evolves.
2026 will be their first season as a customer team, with Mercedes engines set to power the French squad into the new regulations.
Based on the last ten seasons, there is every reason to expect the German constructor to deliver a better engine than Renault would have.
Simultaneously, Alpine’s voluntary reuisition of their manufacturer status could be a strategic blunder.
They have lost the advantage of being able to develop every aspect of their challenger, and have outsourced a key aspect of performance elsewhere.
Whilst this may be the pragmatic approach, it suggests a lack of confidence in the team’s own engine department.
Perhaps more importantly, it showcases a reluctance to make the required changes to become a big team in every sense of the word.
Main photo: Peter Fox/LAT Images (Alpine media gallery)
