Briatore: Alpine aims for victories in 2026 and the championship in 2027
Flavio Briatore, a key figure at Alpine, has assured that the team has the potential to win races in 2026 and has set the ambitious goal of fighting for the world championship in 2027.Briatore, who took over the leadership of the Alpine team following Oliver Oakes’ recent resignation in early May, is determined to drive the team towards success.
Currently, Alpine is in ninth position, with only six points. In the previous two seasons, the team finished in sixth place in the championship.
Briatore, who returned to an advisory role last year, oversaw the decision to halt the production of Formula 1 engines at Renault’s factory in Viry, France.
Alpine will switch to a customer engine agreement with Mercedes next season, and Briatore is confident of an improvement in performance.Briatore added: “In 2026, there will be no excuses: we must be competitive. We owe it to Renault, to Alpine… We are in this sport to win, and with the new regulations that will come into effect in 2026, the teams that interpret them best will have an advantage.”In 2026, we can win races, I guarantee it, and in 2027, we want to be title contenders.
Flavio Briatore
Alpine has only achieved one victory in a Grand Prix since Renault’s return as a constructor, thanks to Esteban Ocon at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix, and has fallen behind under the current rules.
The upcoming season will introduce significant changes in the regulations, both in aerodynamics and engines.Although it’s always uncertain which team and engine manufacturer will emerge with the best package, it’s known that Mercedes is very confident in the current state of its 2026 project. Briatore stated that the change from Renault engines has given Alpine an immediate improvement.
The easiest way to win is to sign Max Verstappen, but we can’t. So we have to work with what we have.
Flavio Briatore
Briatore concluded: “Choosing to switch to Mercedes power was a very difficult decision, but in this sport, to win, you need to have the same tools as the others. For a million reasons rooted in the past, we were at a disadvantage in that area.”
