Alpine F1 Advisor Briatore Believes Wrong Management Held the Team Back
In a candid interview, Alpine F1 advisor Flavio Briatore has voiced his assessment of the team’s recent struggles, attributing their downfall to poor management decisions in the past. Speaking publicly for the first time about his vision for the squad, Briatore pointed to the leadership as the primary reason behind Alpine’s decline in the sport.
“There was no management,” said Briatore when questioned about Alpine’s regression in Formula 1. “I believe the problem of Alpine was this one. At one point, they chose a few wrong managers, and the list of the wrong ones was quite long. We have no list of the good ones.”
Briatore emphasized the importance of having a strong, on-site presence at the Enstone facility, noting that managing a team of Alpine’s caliber remotely from Paris or elsewhere is an immense challenge. This factor, he believes, contributed significantly to the team’s recent troubles.
To address this issue, Briatore quickly moved to overhaul the top position at the squad, bringing in the 36-year-old Oliver Oakes as the new team principal before the summer break. Briatore believes Oakes’ youthful enthusiasm and ambition are precisely what Alpine needs to turn the tide.
“Ollie is enthusiastic, young, ambitious: that’s what we need in the team,” said Briatore. “To turn around this team, you need the young people, you need the people with a lot of passion for the job.”
Oakes, for his part, acknowledged the untapped potential at Enstone, describing the facility as having a “racing spirit” and “history” that money cannot buy. He recognizes the team has been mismanaged for years and is determined to refocus the organization on the core of racing.
“I think I’m in a lucky position,” said Oakes. “It’s a great team. There are lots of things to do, but actually it’s very simple: we need a better car, and we need to get everybody working together.”
Briatore, known for his direct approach, is ready to “revitalize the system” and deliver an “electric shock” to the team. However, he is cautious about setting overly ambitious targets, believing that podium finishes may only be possible from 2027 given the fierce competition in the sport.
As the British GT Championship continues to captivate motorsport enthusiasts, the changes at Alpine F1 will be closely watched by fans and experts alike, eager to see if the “Flavio tornado” can propel the team back to the forefront of the sport.
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