Pierre Gasly has revealed how he and Flavio Briatore have created a “stronger bond” the longer they work together, as Alpine aim to reach the top of Formula 1.

The Italian re-entered the F1 fold as Executive Advisor at the Enstone-based squad last May, where he enjoyed successful stints at the helm of Benetton and Renault.

Since this May, Briatore has been back in his usual territory on the pit wall, acting as de facto Team Principal, after the resignation of former boss Oliver Oakes.

But the team has not enjoyed a happy season, failing to capitalise on its late-season surge in 2024, in which it snatched sixth in the Constructors’ Championship from Haas.

The A525 challenger has been the runt of the F1 litter this year, and Gasly has worked minor miracles to secure all the 20 points it has secured so far.

It appears that Gasly and Briatore are enjoying a healthy working relationship, something he has confirmed, praising his unlimited quest for putting the team in the big time.

“I must say, [the media] probably knows him and has more stories than I because I only really got to know him since he arrived last year,” Gasly told RacingNews365.

“You need time to open up and understand each other’s personalities, and at the start, it was all-track focused. 

“The more we work together, we create a stronger bond and now we have started to know a bit more about each person and how we act.

“He invited me onto his boat, and I spent some time with him, and it is good to see what his vision is, what he wants from the team. He’s been a very successful businessman and has a lot of experience in F1, but also outside of F1. He is a true leader.”

Gasly said that his and Briatore’s goals are very much aligned, saying that he wants to help create an Alpine team that will ultimately enable him to challenge for victories.

“That is what I want at the end of the day, I want to win, and that is what I want in my career,” he said.

“I want to finish my career knowing I don’t want to compete in F1, I want to win in F1, and I want to build a team that can give me a car to race and fight for wins.

“Some teams, obviously, want it, but the reality is they’ll always settle for the midfield. Flavio doesn’t have any limits, not even the sky is the limit for Flavio. 

“He is really committed to Formula 1 and the team to put Enstone back on top as he did some years ago, and obviously things have evolved, but he’s very much aware of that and he wants to make it happen, and is putting the work in.”

Gasly believes Alpine is ‘in a decent place’ for 2026

Gasly expanded on how he is observing Briatore oversee a change of mentality within Enstone, further aided by the arrival of new personnel, including Steve Nielsen as Managing Director.

“I have a very good relationship with Flavio and the key management in the team, and I can really see where their mindset is, the processes that are changing and what is actually evolving,” he said.

“I would be worried right now if nothing changed because we’re obviously not in a good place, but we have a lot of great people, we have great staff, and we are adding key people to the factory. 

“We are starting with brand-new regulations, and fortunately, with the situation we are in, we have more wind-tunnel time for next season compared to the other teams.”

Gasly acknowledged that there will have to be a time to adapt from being a works team to a customer, as it will be with Mercedes next year, but believes there are good foundations in place for the year ahead.

“We have the change of engine manufacturer, which is going to take some adaptation, but we know that on paper, we are in a decent place for next year,” he explained.

“So for me, I’m just trying to grind my way through 2025, keeping my motivation up, and whenever I have a steering wheel in my hands, I need to give my best to deliver the best job I can.”

“It can be finding personal challenges to keep me motivated and also building the team that I need next year if we have a car which can fight for the top five or podiums or wins”

READ MORE – The revised role Pierre Gasly is revelling in at Alpine in F1 2025

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Alpine Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore has admitted Franco Colapinto must “improve” to retain his Formula 1 seat amid reports that Valtteri Bottas is being considered.

The Argentinian has flattered to deceive since replacing Jack Doohan six rounds into the season, failing to finish higher than 13th in the five Grands Prix he has contested.

Doohan was effectively ousted due to his inability to rival Pierre Gasly, who has scored 11 points in 2025, but Colapinto has provided little improvement in the second seat.

There has been much confusion as to how many races Colapinto would be afforded, with an original plan of five seemingly being increased, despite his disappointing results.

But Briatore, who sprung Colapinto from his Williams contract, delivered a brutal verdict during the Austrian Grand Prix, in which Gasly made it into the final part of qualifying.

“Clearly the car was good enough for Q3, but we are still lacking having two cars up where they should be,” Briatore said.

“Franco was through Q1 but too far away to reach Q3, which we need to improve if we are to put ourselves in a more competitive position with both cars.”

Colapinto on the precipice as Bottas targeted

The race in Spielberg was another torrid race for Colapinto, who received a five-second penalty when he put Oscar Piastri onto the grass as the McLaren lapped him.

“The car is a bit difficult for me to drive at the moment,” Colapinto, who is now the sole current driver without a point, explained to media including Motorsport Week.

“It’s not very consistent. It’s fast, but it just didn’t give me the confidence I needed to push in the high-speed areas. 

“It was a tough weekend. I think overall we made some progress, but it just felt like something wasn’t quite right.”

The continuation of Colapinto’s woes comes as reports have now emerged that the team is considering a move to sign Bottas, who is also an alleged target for Cadillac.

The Finn, seeking a return to F1, is back at Mercedes as a reserve driver, and the German marque’s forthcoming power unit deal with Alpine could help him land the drive.

READ MORE – Franco Colapinto poised to retain Alpine drive past F1 Austrian GP

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Flavio Briatore has played down concerns over Luca de Meo’s departure, insisting the exit means “nothing” for the Alpine Formula 1 team’s future.

His comments come amid growing fears that recent struggles on track could be causing lasting damage to Alpine’s brand reputation.

The Enstone-based outfit is rooted to the bottom of the Constructors’ Standings after 10 rounds of the 2025 season.

Pierre Gasly has managed to score points here and there, but it hasn’t been enough to lift Alpine into the midfield battle.

Frequent driver changes have added to the instability: Jack Doohan was replaced by Franco Colapinto after six races, yet neither has found the points this season so far.

Renault CEO de Meo announced his resignation following the Canadian Grand Prix, marking the latest high-profile departure amid ongoing struggles both on and off the track.

Despite the upheaval, executive advisor Briatore insists the team remains unaffected, insisting it’s business as usual at Alpine.

When Reuters asked if de Meo’s departure would cause disruption, the Italian was clear: “Nothing, absolutely nothing.”

“Nothing has changed for me – neither for me nor for the team – and congratulations to Luca on his new position.”

But not everyone shares Briatore’s optimism. Nico Rosberg expressed serious concerns about Alpine’s ongoing struggles and the impact on the team’s reputation.

“We know how important stability is for the performance of a team,” Rosberg told the latest episode of the Sky Sports F1 Show.

“So Alpine… When I was at Mercedes and we were driving around last place, they were almost going to pull the plug every weekend because they’re paying a lot of money and it’s anti-marketing, it’s marketing that is damaging the brand of Alpine and Renault if you’re just driving around in last place.”

Leadership instability and industry challenges threaten Alpine’s future

The 2016 World Champion also pointed to instability in leadership as a major factor that can derail a team’s progress, using Ferrari as a cautionary example.

He added: “It’s one of the weaknesses of Ferrari also who’ve had a lack of stability as well—changing a lot of leadership positions all the time in the last years compared with someone like Mercedes, where if I walk into Mercedes today, the leaders from my time 15 years ago are still there in most of the key roles.

“It’s really awesome to see that continuity, and at the same time, there’s young talent coming through as well to complement.”

Beyond team dynamics, Rosberg highlighted the wider challenges Alpine faces amid a shifting automotive landscape.

“Also in the face of the challenging environment for the automotive industry, where sales are plummeting,” he added.

“The shift to e-mobility is a struggle; the Chinese are coming and conquering more and more market share. Tesla is taking market share.

“The first thing that you cut is marketing budget, and marketing the F1 team falls under marketing budget.

“So we need to keep an eye on that now with new leadership, whether he’s pro-F1 or against F1, but [it is] a difficult situation.”

READ MORE – Pierre Gasly calls for unity at Alpine amid continued unrest

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Alpine Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore has weighed in on Formula 1‘s cost cap regulations, urging a revamp to include driver salaries within its ambit amid rising costs.

The 2025 season will mark the fifth year that F1 runs under a fixed budget ceiling imposed by the governing body of the sport, the FIA.

Introduced in 2021, with a view of levelling up the playing field between smaller outfits like Haas and Williams, and bigger teams up the grid, the teams were initially restricted to an overall cost cap of $145 million, with this amount coming down to $140.4 million this year.

In its current form, the cost cap includes expenses related to car performance (minus engine-related expenses) such as components, logistics, equipment, and team personnel salaries (excluding salaries of the three highest-paid staff members).

An amalgamation of the cost cap and changing technical regulations has seen the level of competition improve, with a closer grid augmenting the on-track action.

However, Briatore believes that the time has come to revise the financial regulations to meet the stringent demands of modern-day motorsport.

“Formula 1, for sure, is different now. This was a very good idea to have the cost cap for the teams. I believe it should stay,” Briatore told media including Motorsport Week.

“I also believe the salary of the driver should be part of that.”

Why does Briatore want F1 cost cap change?

The 75-year-old also stressed how the current cost cap mandate did not align with the ground realities of F1.

Briatore has been associated with the sport since the late 1980s. Assuming control of Benetton in 1991, he led the team and Michael Schumacher to back-to-back titles in 1994 and 1995.

When the team changed hands, Briatore remained and won two titles for Renault with Fernando Alonso in 2005 and 2006.

After the Crashgate controversy in 2008, he was forced to leave the paddock but was brought back into the fold by the Enstone-based team last year.

Naturally, he has seen the sport evolve through multiple eras. And while the racing action has not changed according to Briatore, the only thing getting out of control is the costs related to competing in the sport.

“What I see the difference between my time in Renault and now, the cost really has gone up dramatically,” he explained.

“The races are the same. What you see on television is the same. The fighting between the drivers is the same. The best driver is winning the race – etcetera. 

“What we now see is the cost. The cost has increased dramatically. It’s not because the cost increased that the business is better or the show is better. It’s the same.

“The race, for me, is the same. It’s very competitive. We have great drivers. But the costs go up dramatically.”

In fact, Briatore’s call for capping driver salaries is not inherently misguided. For instance, Max Verstappen, who sits atop the list of the highest-paid F1 drivers in 2025, rakes in $65 million from his Red Bull contract – a sum that is not part of the cost cap but accounts for almost half of the $140.4 million cost cap allocation for the Milton-Keynes based squad this year.  

“The cost budget cap was a very good idea. I believe we should increase the budget including the salaries of the driver,” concluded Briatore.

“When asked again if he stood by his suggestion to include driver salaries in the cost cap, Briatore firmly responded, “Yeah. Absolutely. Include it.”

READ MORE – FIA president open to scrapping ‘headache’ F1 cost cap

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Flavio Briatore has drawn on Red Bull’s early days in Formula 1 as an inspiration for Alpine, as it looks to make an ambitious title challenge in 2027.

The Enstone-based squad has kicked off 2025 in an undesirable fashion, sitting bottom of the Constructors’ Championship with just 11 points, all scored by Pierre Gasly.

Its second seat has also been the subject of controversy, with Jack Doohan being predictably ousted by Franco Colapinto, who has so far struggled in the three of the supposed five races he was being given to prove himself.

And on top of all of that, Oliver Oakes resigned as Team Principal after the Miami Grand Prix, leaving Executive Advisor Briatore to step back into the breach of heading up the pit wall.

However, the eccentric Italian is not short of confidence when it comes to the future, with a vision of title glory the year after next.

Briatore’s streamlining has seen staff reductions and more emphasis on Enstone, with the Renault Viry-Chatillon HQ ditched upon a switch to Mercedes as its new engine supplier for 2026.

With next year’s regulation changes providing an air of mystery as to which team will have cracked the code of how to win, Briatore believes making a play for the championship the year after is not impossible.

‘We’re back in the business, with Alpine,” Briatore told media including Motorsport Week prior to the Spanish Grand Prix. “Not easy because the team has gone through a lot of change, especially in the last four or five years, not only now.

“But little by little, we try to put the team together, the people together. We’re looking for next year as well — for the new engine and the new gearbox from Mercedes-Benz.

“So, this is our goal for next year. In the meantime, we need to be more competitive.”

Briatore drew a comparison from Red Bull’s rise to the top, having made its F1 debut in 2005. After steadily growing from occasional point-scoring midfielders, the team became race-winners in 2009 and champions in 2010.

“We are not competitive for the moment, like I want, but takes time. You see this maestro [Christian Horner] next to me, it takes a lot of time to build a winning car, a winning race, a winning team. I know I’ve done it before. I hope I’ll do it again.”

Alpine ‘needs a dream’ but the right ‘kind of driver’

Briatore doubled down on his ambition, saying that dreaming of success can be a driving force, but admitted that the issues within the team, such as its search for a new permanent Team Principal, is causing issues.

“You need a dream as well, you know,” he said. “When you are in Formula 1, you’re dreaming as well to do the job. You hope. And in this moment, the team is quite new. The team is not performing like I wanted because we still have… a lot of the situation in the team is not clear.

“But we need to clear up everything. Before we start performing like I want, I believe we need all of 2025 now, and we need 2026 to be competitive, to at least sometimes see the podium very close. These are what we’re looking for.”

Briatore made a cryptic comment though, likely in relation to the current second driver situation, about having the right person in the car to ensure success can take place.

“And why not 2027? We see what happened to Red Bull. We see what happened to everybody else. Depends as well on what kind of driver we have in 2027.”

READ MORE – Franco Colapinto explains initial Alpine struggles amid Flavio Briatore unhappiness

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Franco Colapinto has opened up on his initial struggles at Alpine in Formula 1, with interim boss Flavio Briatore said to not be “at all” happy with the Argentinian’s performances.

Colapinto made his Alpine debut at Imola, replacing Jack Doohan, ending weeks of speculation that the Australian would eventually make way for the former Williams prospect.

The 23-year-old has finished all three races of the European triple-header, but has been outside of the points on every occasion, qualifying on the back row twice, albeit through a technical issue in Spain.

He managed 15th at Imola, but crashed spectacularly in Q2 at Tamburello, requiring a huge repair job on his car.

Colapinto’s introduction into the team, having been originally signed as a reserve driver, was said to be largely through the influence of Briatore, who apparently rates him highly.

But the maverick Italian’s patience appears to be wearing thin, despite saying before the race in Spain that it was the “first real race of Franco”.

In a frank assessment, Briatore outlined the criteria for Colapinto to keep his seat, saying he “needs to be fast, not crash, and score points,” adding: “I’m only asking him these three things – not 10. If he does them well, he’ll drive forever.”

He then stated to Sky Deutschland his displeasure with Colapinto’s performance so far.

“If I were to say now that I was happy, it would be a lie. I’m not happy at all. Now we have to see how the season develops for him,” he said.

‘Five races, four races, three races, one race. We see’

In the initial announcement announcing Colapinto’s promotion to a full race seat, it was stated that he would be given a guarantee of five races to prove himself.

Briatore initially backpeddled on this, saying that this was not the case, and ahead of last weekend’s race, he did so again, this time perhaps intimating it may be less, rather than more, five races.

“I don’t know, honestly. I never tell five races, three races, four races, one race. We see,” he told media including Motorsport Week.

“If Colapinto is performing, he’s driving the car. If not, we’ll see. 2025 is a year we need to prepare ourselves for 2026. So whatever experiment I need doing, we’re doing.”

Colapinto himself was on the end of some tough questioning after the race, having finished 15th with Gasly scoring points in eighth.

When asked if he needed a miracle to stay at the time beyond the next two races, Colapinto told media including Motorsport Week: “No, I don’t think it’s the person you should be asking that.

“We are growing with the team and doing step by step, but today was a tough race, a tough afternoon, a difficult race, so I need to focus.”

After Monaco, Colapinto discussed the areas in which he did not feel confident with the car, something he reaffirmed again.

“I think it’s a bit of confidence with the car in some areas,” he explained. “Some entries I feel quite still a bit uncomfortable, and sometimes not being able to carry the speed I need. 

“You know, clean up a couple of corners that are clear to us, that I’m lacking a bit of confidence in, and I think just to keep working now in these weeks that we have to keep learning.”

READ MORE – James Vowles urges Franco Colapinto to be ‘given time’ at Alpine

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Flavio Briatore has pushed back on Alpine’s plan to give Franco Colapinto five Formula 1 races, hinting at a different approach to his development.

The Italian has taken over the leadership role at the French squad following Oliver Oakes’ dismissal as Team Principal.

Briatore doesn’t hold any specific position or job title, with Racing Director Dave Greenwood assigned as team representative for administrative purposes.

Alpine announced before the race weekend in Imola that the young Argentine would be replacing Jack Doohan, with a chance to hold down his seat over the next five races.

The reserve driver would replace the Australian rookie after he failed to score any points in the opening six rounds.

A statement from Alpine read: “Having reviewed the opening races of the season, we have come to the decision to put Franco in the car alongside Pierre for the next five races. […] The next five races will give us an opportunity to try something different and after this time period we will assess our options.”

However, speaking with Sky Italy at Imola, the 75-year-old has contradicted himself and the team.

“I have to say, I also expected more from Jack Doohan – maybe he needs a break,” Briatore said.

“Franco will race as much as needed – I read somewhere that he’ll have five races, but no, there’s no set limit on his races.

“He needs to be fast, not crash, and score points.

“I’m only asking him these three things — not 10.

“If he does them well, he’ll drive forever.”

Asked to explain the departure of Oakes, he replied: “His resignation came after Miami due to a personal issue, and when it happened, I didn’t expect it either.

“This is a united team – there were rumours that I had argued with Oliver, but that’s not true — we have a great relationship.”

READ MORE – Franco Colapinto admits five races ‘not enough’ to maximise potential at Alpine

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This week’s news that Oliver Oakes had resigned as team principal of Alpine raised a few eyebrows, but was not perhaps the biggest shock amongst the Formula 1 fraternity.

Ever since one of F1’s most controversial renaissance men, Flavio Briatore, returned to Enstone last year as Executive Advisor, perhaps there was a feeling that the 75-year-old would one day return to the pit wall.

Perhaps Oakes’ public persona as a mild-mannered man of a youthful age exacerbated this, with many wondering if Briatore’s polarising and ‘big beast’ character might see him assume authority again.

The audible collective sigh of ‘yeah, right!’ echoed after Briatore insisted via a public statement that Oakes’ departure was of a personal nature, but, as it turned out of course, it was really true.

The arrest of his brother, and the subsequent rehashing of previous information of his dealings with the infamous Mazepin family, has cast a cloud over the team, which had already formed over the head of its now former race driver Jack Doohan.

Doohan saga a focal topic of Alpine early season

The starting pistol of gossip had already fired bullets into the rumour mill regarding the Australian’s future before the season had even begun, with Franco Colapinto being signed by Alpine as a reserve driver, and immediately receiving the public praise of Briatore, who called the Argentinian one of the team’s “most important assets.”

Oakes insisted Doohan would be given a fair shot, and perhaps the news of Liam Lawson’s reshuffle back to Racing Bulls in favour of Yuki Tsunoda at Red Bull took some of the media heat off of him and the team.

Whilst there were mistakes, such as his FP1 shunt in Japan having left DRS open, and his race-ending first-lap crash in Miami – after having out-qualified Gasly for the first time – his pace was not terrible, and was able to get close to his experienced team-mate over one lap.

But when one of Colapinto’s personal sponsors was overheard on Argentinian television saying he would be back “in Imola,” the writing that was already on the wall had been freshened-up with a marker pen.

This was what led many to believe that the announcement Colapinto was now in an Alpine race seat – for at least the next five races – was the catalyst for Oakes’ departure.

But in either case, it leaves Briatore back in the position he first assumed in 1989.

From commercial guru to title-winning boss – the rise of Briatore

Having had no prior experience in motor racing, Briatore became Benetton team principal in 1989, having been the head of its commercial operations before. Previous criminal convictions in his pre-F1 years left him with a reputation for being a bit of a rogue, but his ruthless nous for running an F1 team quickly became apparent.

One of the first big examples of this was in 1991, stealing the recently-unearthed young talent by the name of Michael Schumacher from under the noses of the Jordan team, which had given the German his debut at the Belgian Grand Prix.

His public profile soared via Schumacher’s precocious talent, which lifted the Benetton to the top of the world in 1994, when he took his first Drivers’ Championship, amid longstanding allegations of cheating with the B194 car. 

Schumacher followed this up with a second title the next year, before he stunned Briatore and F1 by joining Ferrari. Benetton never really recovered from the gap Schumacher left, and by the end of 1997, Briatore was replaced by the now-head of Motorsport UK, David Richards.

Four years later, however, Briatore was back at Enstone, replacing Rocco Benetton and taking over as team principal as the team transitioned to Renault. Despite outscoring Jarno Trulli, Briatore unceremoniously fired Jenson Button in favour of test driver Fernando Alonso, telling the protesting masses: “time will tell if I’m wrong.”

The rise, the fall and another rise – how one night in Singapore changed everything before dramatic return

11 years after becoming the cream of the crop with Schumacher, Briatore was back at the top as Alonso took the first of two Drivers’ titles in 2005, and, like Schumacher, backed it up with another the next year.

History repeated itself once more however, with Alonso leaving straight after, going to McLaren, but after a contentious year alongside Lewis Hamilton, the Spaniard was back in 2008, and his win at that year’s Singapore Grand Prix proved to be Briatore’s downfall.

After the second Renault of Nelson Piquet Jr crashed out of the race, the Safety Car was deployed, and Alonso, who had qualified 15th, utilised a strategic masterclass to pit and come through the chaos to take a memorable win.

But when Piquet later revealed, after being fired by the team, that he was instructed to crash in order to cause the Safety Car’s deployment to give Alonso this chance of victory, both Briatore and chief engineer Pat Symonds resigned, and Briatore was served with a lifetime ban from Formula 1.

This, however, was overturned less than a year later, but he remained out of the spotlight of the paddock. That was, until May last year.

After being courted by Renault’s CEO Luca de Meo, Briatore strolled through the doors at Enstone once again, now as an Executive Advisor, a position which is believed to give him the power of hire and fire within the organisation.

In fact, his presence was felt early on, as he culled 25 percent of the workforce in Oxfordshire, and then shut the doors on Renault’s Viry-Chatillon engine production base, instead opting for an engine deal with Mercedes in time for the forthcoming new regulations in 2026.

Having been recently praised by Gasly for being brave enough to “make changes” to put Alpine in a “better place,” it remains to be seen whether Briatore will continue as the de facto leader of the team until a replacement for Oakes is found, or whether that familiar mirthful yet controversial Italian figure will continue for a little while longer.

In either case, it seems that whatever he does and whatever others do to counteract it, you can’t keep Flavio Briatore down.

READ MORE – Alpine admits to ‘mistake’ that led to Fernando Alonso departure

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Flavio Briatore has dismissed claims that Oliver Oakes decided to step down from his role leading Alpine‘s Formula 1 team over the decision to demote Jack Doohan.

Alpine has commanded the headlines over the last 24 hours as Oakes tendering his resignation preceded the news that Doohan has lost his seat to Franco Colapinto.

Briatore, who returned to Alpine as an Executive Advisor last June, was known to have headed the organisation’s successful attempt to prise Colapinto from Williams.

Meanwhile, Oakes had expressed a public disdain towards the persistent speculation that had overshadowed the beginning of Doohan’s rookie campaign in the sport.

But although the timing suggested that the two events might have been interlinked, Briatore, who has assumed Oakes’ responsibilities, has denied that to be the case.

“A lot has been said in the past 24 hours, incorrectly associating the decision of Oli resigning to an alleged disagreement, or that we shared different views. This is completely false and far from the truth,” Briatore penned in an Alpine statement.

“Me and Oli have a very good relationship and had long-term ambitions to drive this team forward together.

“We accept Oli’s request to resign and have therefore accepted his resignation.

“The reasons are not related to the team and are of a personal nature.

“I will continue to be more and more involved with the team, together with the strong management we already have in place.

“We will work hard on improving our position this season and preparing for 2026.”

Oakes indebted to Briatore

Oakes concurred with Briatore’s sentiment as he expressed that the charismatic Italian, 75, had served as a “father” figure during his stint at the helm since July 2024.

“It’s been a privilege to lead everyone at Enstone, what a team, what a place,” Oakes addressed.

“It is a personal decision to for me to step down. Flavio has been like a father to me, nothing but supportive since I took the role, as well as giving me the opportunity.

“Everyone is in place for 2026 and where this dream deserve to be. I believe in Enstone.”

READ MORE – Pierre Gasly hails Flavio Briatore impact amid Alpine driver swap

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Pierre Gasly insisted Flavio Briatore is willing to “make changes” to put Alpine in a “better place” in Formula 1 amid the news that the team has demoted Jack Doohan.

Briatore was summoned back to the Renault-owned squad last June as an Executive Advisor in response to Alpine enduring a nightmare start to the previous season.

Renault CEO Luca de Meo elected to recall Briatore, who was at the helm the last time that the team celebrated championship success with Fernando Alonso in 2006.

The veteran Italian has since possessed an eminent role in the ongoing restructuring at the team, which included obtaining Franco Colapinto’s services from Williams.

Having disclosed that he would ensure Colapinto lands a permanent drive, Briatore is reported to have instigated the choice to drop Doohan to promote the Argentine.

READ MORE – Franco Colapinto to replace Jack Doohan at Alpine from Imola

Prior to the swap being confirmed, Gasly pinpointed that Briatore is prepared to commit to ruthless decisions in order to bolster the Anglo-French marque’s prospects.

“He’s pushing the team in a very impressive way, trying to get the max out of any department, and really trying hard to put the team in a better place,” Gasly told media including Motorsport Week.

“He’s come with a lot of experience, a lot of network, someone that makes changes, and sometimes you’ve got to be pushed and challenged, and that’s what he does all the time.

“I think he’s brought a lot of good stuff to the team.

“Obviously it’s not a sport where things are going to change over two or three months. We need a bit of time, but he’s clearly pushing everybody in the right direction.”

Alpine making ‘a lot of progress’ with Briatore

Alongside signing Colapinto, Briatore also spearheaded the call to scrap plans to continue using Renault engines in 2026 to revert to customer Mercedes power units.

Gasly, who believes the impending regulation overhaul could propel him into title contention, has expressed that Alpine is making positive progress in the background.

Asked to elaborate, the Frenchman explained: “Just challenging the process and the way we’re doing things and questioning whether we’re doing things in the best way possible. 

“We do a lot of great things, but this is a sport where there’s a lot of evolution, and you’ve always got to have some sort of reflection about what we do, and how to keep up with the technology and bring the team forward.

“I think he’s working well with the guys, and I think overall in the background there’s a lot of progress which is being made.”

READ MORE – Alpine reveals driving force behind Jack Doohan-Franco Colapinto F1 driver change

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