Briatore's Defense: Unpacking the Jack Doohan Controversy
Feb.24 - Flavio Briatore is still not denying that Alpine could make a mid-season driver change in 2025.
The flamboyant Italian's actual role is a team advisor reporting to Renault CEO Luca de Meo - but the latter admitted at the launch of the team's 2025 car: "Let's be honest, Flavio is the boss."
Indeed, Briatore is no longer hiding either that he was behind the decision to switch to customer Mercedes engines for 2026, or that he "fought hard" to secure Franco Colapinto on loan from Williams for the next several years.
"To win you need everything to be competitive and the engine was not competitive," the 74-year-old said. "Anyone in my position would have chosen between Mercedes or Ferrari, and I chose Mercedes.
"I came back to win races and for that you need the best."
The "best" for Briatore also applies to the occupants of the cockpits, with Pierre Gasly looking secure for now. "I didn't know Gasly," he said, "but he did five or six fantastic final races.
"And it was positive to put Jack (Doohan) in Abu Dhabi to give him one more race of experience."
It is rookie Doohan, 22, whose race seat appears to be at great risk of being taken over - perhaps after just the first five races of 2025 - by Colapinto.
"No, no," said Briatore. "It will be more than five. I'm joking," he smiled. "We'll see.
"First we're going to start the season. I'm not a killer, I just want to have the best drivers possible. I've been representing Fernando Alonso for 23 years, which shows that I support drivers who give me what I ask of them."
So, when it comes to Alpine's newly-revealed 2025 car, Briatore insisted: "I need someone fast who can win a race.
"I am not pushing for Colapinto," he said. "We have three reserve drivers. (Paul) Aron and Colapinto are very, very fast. Jack, at the moment, has done very well in the testing and Gasly did a super job last year.
"We are going to start the season and then we will see if we have the chance. If not this year, then next year. Of course we look for talent, but everyone does, because with talent it is easier to win world championships.
"We had it with (Michael) Schumacher and with Fernando - the top drivers make the difference and I try to make sure that we have the best possible. Whether it is Colapinto, Paul or Jack, it doesn't matter to me."
Meanwhile, Alpine's new livery for 2025 features much more colour compared to the amount of blank black carbon on last year's car. "The car is full of sponsor stickers," Briatore admits.
"The engineers complain because the car is too heavy, but I tell them that if we remove the sticker, we remove the money."
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People should just avoid making hasty conclusions beforehand, although I still expect Doohan to get replaced by Colapinto eventually, either around the summer break or later, to justify the buyout & Argentine sponsors.
if they ARE lining Alpine up for a sale then WCC points are of huge importance, so drivers are less important, its also a simple fact, Doodoo brings far less money to the car than Cocacola does, lets face it whoyd have thought Audi would sell 30% of there team, so a sale is id say more than likely for Alpine than not, theyve allready sold about 20% of it
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