Flavio Briatore doesn’t do half-measures, and he certainly doesn’t do alibis. As Alpine turns the page toward Formula 1’s regulation reset, the Italian chief has laid down a blunt, unmistakable challenge: 2026 is the year results must finally match ambition for the Enstone squad – or else.
After a bruising 2025 campaign that left the once-proud French outfit rooted to the bottom of the Constructors’ championship, Briatore’s patience is already in short supply.
The excuses, he insists, have officially run out.
No Place to Hide for Alpine
Alpine’s fall from reliable midfield operator to championship cellar-dweller was as stark as it was painful.
Just 22 points all season last year, all of them courtesy of Pierre Gasly, while Franco Colapinto failed to score, and a team that once fought for podiums instead fought irrelevance.
Briatore, who masterminded championship glory during Renault’s golden era, returned in 2024 as Executive Advisor and now effectively co-leads the team alongside Managing Director Steve Nielsen.
The mission is simple: restore credibility – fast. Asked at the launch of Alpine’s A526 what he expects from an unchanged driver pairing, Briatore didn’t blink.
“This is a difficult question, but I expect the best. You know, this year is not for excuses anymore. We have a brand new car and we have the same drivers,” he said.
“I promise Franco had a very good winter and I hope he gets much better results and he's ready to compete with Pierre. We need two drivers competing. We need the performance of the driver.”
Translation? Alpine can no longer afford passengers. Briatore wants internal competition, points from both sides of the garage, and drivers who drag performance out of the car – not explanations out of the debrief.
That hard edge set the tone as Alpine unveiled its 2026 challenger in dramatic fashion aboard a cruise ship on Friday, a floating declaration that this was, in Briatore’s words, “a new chapter” for the team.
All-In On 2026 – With The Best or Nothing
Like every team on the grid, Alpine faces the uncertainty of F1’ssweeping new technical regulations. But their challenge is steeper than most. For the first time, the Enstone squad will race with Mercedes power, ending their long association with Renault engines.
For Briatore, that switch wasn’t a luxury – it was a non-negotiable.
"The moment when Luca de Meo was talking about joining the team, [there was] only one condition for me to join the team, which was to have a Mercedes-Benz engine,” he explained. “There was no plan B, it was only one plan.
"I wanted a Mercedes-Benz engine completely. There was only one way to come back, because in this moment, you need to be with the best people. And the people of Mercedes, we started working together and it was promising.
“It's surprising, the ways that the people [at Mercedes] are collaborating with us. It's a super, super relationship. This is what we're looking for. I wanted to have the discussion with the best. With the second best, no interest."
It’s classic Briatore: uncompromising, provocative, and laser-focused on elite partnerships. In his mind, Alpine’s revival could only start by aligning itself with proven winners.
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Despite the unknowns that come with new rules and new power units, Briatore radiates confidence that Alpine has rediscovered its technical backbone.
“I promise everybody that this season will be fantastic. Before the first race, everybody’s world champion. After we go to Australia, we see where we are.
“It’s very difficult to see where we are. We need to see what happens in the first race, but we believe we are competitive. We have been working very well and our technical people have done a super job. Alpine has really come back in performance this year.”
Whether that belief survives the harsh reality of Melbourne remains to be seen.
But one thing is already clear: Alpine enters 2026 with a boss who won’t tolerate underachievement — and who has made sure everyone knows it.
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