Last Updated on May 29 2025, 11:44 am
Back at the helm, Flavio Briatore has wasted no time in reigniting debate within the Formula 1 paddock. After controversially replacing Jack Doohan with Franco Colapinto just six races into the season, the outspoken Alpine team boss has stunned observers by lavishing unexpected praise on one of his own drivers.
In a wide-ranging interview with the French daily newspaper Le Monde, the 74-year-old former Benetton and Renault mastermind held nothing back in a return to the sport that has quickly become synonymous with him: brutal honesty mixed with headline-grabbing hyperbole. When asked to assess the current pecking order of F1 talent, Briatore placed his own Pierre Gasly in elite company.
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“For me, Max Verstappen is at the top,” Briatore began, offering what most would consider a fairly conventional view. But then came the curveball.
“And behind him come Pierre Gasly, Charles Leclerc, and a few others.”
Mentioning Gasly in the same breath as Ferrari’s Leclerc and just behind four-time world champion Verstappen raised eyebrows up and down the paddock. While the Frenchman has a Grand Prix win to his name — his stunning 2020 Monza triumph with AlphaTauri — his overall record since then has not suggested that he belongs in the top tier of the current grid.
He has struggled to establish himself as a consistent front-runner and has had difficulty adapting to life at Alpine, particularly in 2024 when the team was plagued by management instability and poor performance on the track. Yet Briatore sees potential that others may have overlooked.
“You either have the speed or you don’t, and Pierre has it,” he explained.
“He’s very good. He can become a top driver, but he needs to be more focused.’
In Briatore’s view, focus is just one piece of the puzzle. The other piece is machinery.
“With a better car and more focus, Pierre could be one of the world’s best.”
This is a quiet vote of confidence — or a loud warning.
Despite Alpine being nowhere near the top teams in terms of raw pace, Gasly has managed to collect a handful of points this season, specifically in Bahrain and Miami. This lends some credibility to Briatore’s claim, although it also highlights the car’s limitations, a recurring theme in Alpine’s recent history.
Whether his comments are intended as a public pep talk or a reminder that Gasly’s future is in his own hands is open to interpretation. But what’s clear is that Briatore is not in the business of hollow flattery.
His praise of Gasly may be seen as either genuine belief or a high-stakes motivational tactic, especially given that he has made it clear that he will not tolerate mediocrity in his return to F1 leadership.
Colapinto’s promise is overshadowed by inconsistency.
If Briatore’s praise of Gasly was surprisingly effusive, his assessment of Franco Colapinto was much more reserved — perhaps unexpectedly so, considering that Briatore runs the Alpine team and manages Colapinto’s career.
“He has speed,” Briatore said of the 21-year-old. ‘But what he still lacks is the ability to handle pressure. If you’re fast but end up in the wall, it’s no use.”
This is a notable and public critique of a driver who, despite showing flashes of brilliance in junior categories, has yet to score a single point in Formula 1. Colapinto’s 2025 campaign has so far been plagued by errors and missed opportunities, reminiscent of his brief stint as a reserve and development driver at Williams last season.
His call-up to replace Doohan mid-season was seen by many as an endorsement of his long-term potential, as well as a sign that Briatore was willing to take risks in order to find Alpine’s next leader on the track. But with six races now in the books and a zero still on the points tally, the pressure is mounting.
Briatore implies that the issue isn’t speed – Colapinto has that. It’s composure. In a sport where the margin between glory and disaster is razor-thin, mental strength often separates the contenders from the also-rans.
This reflects Briatore’s ruthless approach.
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This dual appraisal of his two drivers offers a snapshot of how Briatore intends to run Alpine: with cold, surgical evaluations and no room for sentiment. When he replaced Doohan earlier in the season, critics questioned the decision, arguing that rookies need more time to adapt. Briatore, characteristically, didn’t flinch.
“You only stay in a company if you do a good job. If you do a bad job, you get fired,” he said at the time, unapologetically. ‘Over a thousand people and their families depend on it. I’m just protecting the people who work for me.’
This same mentality is now being applied to Colapinto. There’s no grace period and no protective PR padding. Briatore sees Formula 1 as a results-driven business, and to him, talent is only as valuable as its execution on Sundays.
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High standards, higher expectations
Briatore’s comments also highlight an underlying truth about the 2025 F1 season: Alpine remains in flux. Still recovering from a disappointing 2024 campaign, the Enstone-based team has shown signs of improvement, but not enough to consistently challenge the likes of McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari.
Gasly has at least demonstrated his ability to seize opportunities when they arise. Colapinto, on the other hand, remains something of an enigma — capable of fast qualifying laps and bold overtaking manoeuvres, but also prone to finding himself with a broken front wing or facing post-race steward inquiries.
This dynamic may suit Briatore’s aggressive leadership style. He offers public praise, but only when it is deserved. He shows no hesitation in issuing warnings, even to drivers under his own management.
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The bigger question is: what does Alpine want to be?
For all the chatter around drivers, the bigger question looms over Alpine’s trajectory. Can the team evolve into a genuine top-three challenger again under Briatore? Or will internal instability and technical inconsistency continue to limit their ambitions?
If Gasly can fulfil Briatore’s bold prediction, it will represent a remarkable comeback for a driver who was once deemed surplus to requirements by Red Bull. If Colapinto can mature under pressure, Alpine may have unearthed a gem in the rough who just needs time and support to shine.
But neither scenario is guaranteed. Under Briatore, nothing will be left to chance.
As the season unfolds, one thing is clear: the drama at Alpine may not always be on the track, but it will never be far from the spotlight. And that’s just the way Briatore likes it.
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With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
