Alpine’s executive advisor Flavio Briatore has lifted the lid on the team’s driver plans for 2026 — and it’s strictly an in-house affair.
The 75-year-old insists the second seat alongside Pierre Gasly will come down to a shootout between two young talents already on the French outfit’s books, while shutting down speculation about moves for Red Bull and Racing Bulls incumbents Yuki Tsunoda or Liam Lawson.
“It’s between Franco and Paul [Aron],” Briatore told The Race. “Paul is a very nice guy, a very quick driver as well. And I need to understand what is the best for the team, you know?”
With Gasly locked in at Alpine until the end of 2027, the team now faces the task of deciding whether rookie Franco Colapinto – who stepped in mid-season to replace Jack Doohan – will retain his place, or whether reserve driver Paul Aron will make the leap to F1.
Briatore made clear the choice will be based purely on performance, not external pressure.
“I mean, I don’t have any interest with anybody,” commented the Alpine chief. “Before the people were driving me mad [by complaining] because I was managing 50% of the drivers [on the grid]. Now, I don’t manage anybody.
“I don’t care. I don’t have any interest. My only interest is to try to take in the team the best driver available and do the best job with us. It is as simple as that.
“I need another one or two races to see, but honestly today I don’t know [which one].”
The Italian’s bluntness also means Alpine has effectively slammed the door on Lawson and Tsunoda, two Red Bull juniors who could find themselves without a seat in 2026.
Briatore was equally dismissive when asked about the driver market beyond Alpine’s pool. For him, the sport’s greatest drivers are instantly recognizable — and he doesn’t see that spark among the other available candidates.
“I don’t see any other possibility,” he said. “We see other ones, but we don’t feel it [anything special] – because the good guys go ‘boom’.
“I remember when Schumi was in Group C with Sauber, he won every race…
“GP2 was the same. [Lewis] Hamilton was bam, bam, bam, bam. Fernando was driving Formula 3000 or whatever and he was winning every race.
“I remember testing Fernando. I put Fernando in Minardi and Giancarlo [Minardi] called me and said: ‘I have never seen stuff like that’. Now, take away Max [Verstappen]. The rest?…”
Alpine’s decision will not be made immediately. Briatore stressed he needs “another one or two races” to fully evaluate Colapinto and Aron before locking in his choice.
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Still, his remarks leave no doubt: Alpine’s future lies within its youth development, not with recycling drivers from rival programs.
For Tsunoda and Lawson, Briatore’s stance all but guarantees that one of them will miss out on a seat next year. For Alpine, the fight between Colapinto and Aron has just intensified — and the stakes could not be higher as the team prepares for Formula 1’s new 2026 era.
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