Flavio Briatore has just suggested an F1 rule change that could stop Alpine signing his dream driver

Flavio Briatore has already made a driver change at Alpine in the 2025 F1 season as Franco Colapinto replaced Jack Doohan, and he will not be afraid to make another.

The Enstone squad put their line-up on shuffle earlier this year when Colapinto stepped into a race seat to partner Pierre Gasly, while Doohan returned to his reserve driver role. But the change is yet to pay off, with Alpine last in the F1 constructors’ standings with just 11 points.

Briatore even recently conceded that he is ‘not happy at all’ with Colapinto’s form, with the 22-year-old finishing P16 at Imola, P13 in Monaco and P15 in Spain. The Argentine now has just two more races to secure his future, as Alpine only confirmed Colapinto for five rounds.

Alpine also saw the Buenos Aires native launch his stint in the A525 on the wrong foot at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, as Colapinto crashed in qualifying at Imola. He also qualified last in Monaco and earned P19 after Colapinto developed a driveline issue in qualifying in Spain.

Flavio Briatore suggests F1 should include driver wages in the cost cap

Colapinto now has to convince Briatore at the Canadian and Austrian Grands Prix about why he deserves to retain the seat, with Alpine set to review their driver line-up again before the British Grand Prix. Briatore sees this term as an ‘experiment’ to sort Alpine’s line-up in 2026.

READ MORE: Who is Alpine’s F1 executive adviser Flavio Briatore? Everything to know

Yet Briatore has also now proposed that Formula 1 should consider including driver wages in the cost cap. Currently, driver wages and the salaries of each team’s three highest-paid staff members are among the expenses that the cost cap, which is set at £103m in 2025, ignores.

“Formula 1, for sure, is different now,” Briatore has told Motorsport Week. “This was a very good idea to have the cost cap for the teams. I believe it should stay. I also believe the salary of the driver should be part of that.”

Flavio Briatore’s rule change could stop Alpine from signing Red Bull’s Max Verstappen

But Briatore’s idea to include driver wages in the F1 cost cap could actually stop Alpine from signing his dream target, Max Verstappen of Red Bull. The four-time defending F1 champion is the highest-paid driver on the 2025 Formula 1 grid, with his base wage set at £47m a year.

READ MORE: Every 2025 F1 driver’s wage, including Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari contract

Alpine executive adviser Briatore recently told Corriere della Sera that he thinks Verstappen is ‘undoubtedly’ the number one driver on the 2025 F1 grid. The Italian even went as far as claiming his dream driver line-up would be: “Two Verstappens. After all, I do have two cars.”

It was not the first time he lauded the Red Bull driver, either. The Alpine chief defended the Dutchman after receiving ‘totally stupid’ criticism for his aggressive driving style last season, while claiming that Verstappen reminds Briatore of Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna.

Also, Ralf Schumacher has previously suggested that Groupe Renault CEO Luca de Meo and Briatore would ‘do anything’ for Alpine to sign Verstappen. The 27-year-old’s future is often a topic of conversation, despite being under contract for Red Bull through the 2028 F1 season.

Verstappen can break out of his contract with Red Bull if the Dutchman ranks outside of the top three in the 2025 drivers’ standings during the summer break, though. Yet a move next year is now unlikely, as Verstappen plans to stay at Red Bull in 2026 for the new regulations.