Formula 1: Briatore once again admitted the mistakes and analyzed Alpine's current situation: 'A torture'

Briatore also defended the controversial decision to end the development of the current car to focus on the 2026 model, assuring that the real obstacle lies in the team's technical foundation. One of his first measures upon returning to Enstone was to close the Viry-Châtillon engine plant, in order to use Mercedes power units starting in 2026, a decision that sparked intense debate within the paddock.

Meanwhile, Briatore admitted that it was a difficult decision to give up their own engines, but he insisted that to be competitive, one must "have the same weapons as the others." He also explained that, given the lack of capacity to improve both the current and future car at the same time, they chose to bet everything on the 2026 single-seater: "At first our car was P6/P5. Then, everyone improved their cars a lot and we're not where we expected. That's why we took the risk of putting all our effort into the 2026 car."

Finally, he justified his return, criticizing the team's previous management, which, according to him, was too centralized in Paris: "The team was run by people from France, from Paris. F1 is already difficult to manage day to day in the office, in Enstone. So managing F1 from Paris is impossible."

With a tough but clear diagnosis, Briatore made it clear that Alpine needs to reinvent itself. The 2026 season is shaping up to be its great opportunity to be reborn and to become a protagonist again in the top category of world motorsport.

Although there are still four Grands Prix remaining to conclude the 2025 season, at Alpine the campaign has long been left in the past. The French team decided to halt the development of the A525 when only the first half of the calendar had been completed, a drastic measure that sealed its fate at the back of the grid. With few options to score points, the team is already focusing all its resources on 2026, a year in which the new technical regulations promise to completely reshape the Formula 1 landscape.

In this context, just hours before the Brazilian Grand Prix at the historic Interlagos circuit, CEO Flavio Briatore gave an interview to The Race in which he reflected on the present and future of the team.

The Italian executive held nothing back: he described every weekend as a "torture" and pointed out that Alpine's current problems originated a decade ago, when Renault made a wrong decision in engine development. He also set an ambitious goal for the new era that will begin in 2026: "I want us to be among the top six. When you start sixth or seventh, you can already smell the podium. From 14th or 15th place, that's impossible. My dream is to be competitive, to be at that level."

Franco Colapinto is one step away from being announced as a starting driver, Briatore has already outlined the guidelines of the new project, although he admitted that the challenge will be enormous: "With Benetton, they laughed because we were T-jersey manufacturers. Ron Dennis told me I didn't have motorsport in my blood. So, meanwhile, we were winning races without having motorsport in our blood. We're here to win, not to go sightseeing."

The executive confessed that he suffers from the team's current situation: "This situation is very difficult for us. I'm not used to it. Twenty years ago I was, but now every Sunday is a torture. You have no chance. You arrive at the venues and see the mechanics setting up the garage, working very hard. Then you see all those people giving their all and you don't have the chance to enjoy the race, to go home with points. It's very frustrating. I hope next year we recover everything twice over!"