Briatore pinpoints to areas where Alpine need to improve

Alpine’s steady rise in performance has been one of the quieter storylines of the 2026 Formula One season, but Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore made clear during the Monaco Grand Prix weekend that progress alone is not enough.

While acknowledging that the team has taken a step forward compared to last year, Briatore stressed that Alpine remains far from where it should be — particularly when benchmarked against its fellow Mercedes‑powered rivals.

“We are better, but I’m not happy in the way we are in this moment,” Briatore said when asked whether Alpine’s improved form had increased interest from drivers looking for a seat.

His frustration stems from the comparison with McLaren and Mercedes, both of whom use the same power unit yet consistently run several tenths ahead.

“We [should have done] much better with what we have, because you have McLaren with the same engine we have, you have Mercedes with the same engine, and we are six, seven tenths behind. So, we’re improving, but we’re not improving like I want. This is the problem we have in this moment.”

Briatore was also clear that Alpine’s driver line‑up is not the limiting factor. The team has Pierre Gasly under contract and is evaluating Franco Colapinto’s development, but Briatore insisted that the car — not the drivers — must be the priority.

“Driver is less improving the package, after the driver. We have the contract with Pierre. We need to look for Colapinto. But I think you explained it quite well. The car is much more important in this moment.”

He pointed out that even the very best drivers cannot compensate for Alpine’s current deficit. “Sure, the driver made a difference. If you have one guy like maybe Max, make you two tenths, three tenths. If you are seven, eight tenths behind, you don’t have any driver makes this difference.”

For Briatore, the path forward is unambiguous: “So let’s work on the car, let’s work on the pit stop, let’s work in doing much, much better aerodynamics on our car.

"And after, we’re talking about driver. Driver, for me, is the last part, is the last bit. If you need to put the financial effort, you need to put the effort where you have the possibility to win.”