Flavio Briatore insists Alpine is not for sale and says Renault chairman Luca de Meo “never wants to sell the team”.
The former Renault team principal, Briatore is now a special advisor to Alpine and oversaw the installation of Oliver Oakes as the new team principal over the summer. With Renault’s own Formula 1 power unit department set to be closed down and Alpine planning on becoming a customer team in future, the changes have led to speculation that the team is being primed for a sale but Briatore insists that’s not the case.
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“No, there is nothing for sale,” Briatore said. “Everything, we buy. If there’s any opportunity we’d buy another Formula 1 team! Some things are very clear. Luca de Meo never wants to sell the team. Question finito.”
Alpine is understood to have held talks with Mercedes about becoming a customer from 2026 onwards, and Briatore says there are other examples of customer teams being able to win that prove the plan is focused on performance.
“Look at McLaren, McLaren is not doing everything. If you want to win, you need the best of everything that is possible. So my job is really to get the team in condition to win. Doing everything that is possible to make sure all the important parts are competitive.”
Briatore says the lack of performance from the power unit created Renault an issue, but clarifies a decision on its future was made prior to his return to the team.
“The problem is the evidence. The stuff with the engine was decided already by the management of Renault and for me it’s fine. Our chairman decided it was fine. This was decided already before I arrived in the team.
“I’m not the bad guy all the time! I still am, but not in that! Everything else, you can blame me, but not this one!
“This is the decision of the chairman of the Renault Group, we read in the newspaper like you guys. And I have nothing to say about that.”
