In a recent interview with the Italian newspaper La Stampa, Flavio Briatore, current executive advisor of Alpine, spoke about the team's present, the future of Argentine Franco Colapinto, and also shared his views on drivers who reach Formula 1 thanks to their family connections.
When asked about the possible debut of Colapinto in Formula 1, the executive was cautious and emphasized that "now the priority is to have a top-level car, to be on par with the four giants McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull, and Ferrari". Although the Argentine driver is mentioned as an alternative to replace Jack Doohan, who started the season with ups and downs, Briatore made it clear that the team is facing other urgencies and that, for now, the focus is on improving the car's performance.
In that sense, he had already pointed out that it's not enough to place a young talent in an F1 seat: "It's not just putting a kid in a car: then you have to deal with everything else, the pressure, the interviews, the criticism, 100,000 spectators in the stands". To illustrate the complexity of the environment, he mentioned the case of Liam Lawson, who failed to establish himself at Red Bull and was relegated to a smaller team after a difficult start.
The interview also addressed the phenomenon of the so-called "daddy's boys", a term used by journalist Jacopo D’Orsi when referring to drivers like Lance Stroll, son of the owner of Aston Martin, and Jack Doohan, son of multiple motorcycle champion Mick Doohan. Briatore replied emphatically: "Stroll has his own team and is a separate case. As for Jack, you can be Mick's son but if you're not competitive you're going nowhere, everyone is fast. Although, of course, it's not easy".
