Flavio Briatore names the Formula 1 champion he insists he was ‘right’ to drop earlier in his career

Alpine executive advisor Flavio Briatore has never been someone who has hidden his opinions during his time in Formula 1.

Flavio Briatore demands the best wherever he goes, which makes Alpine’s current predicament particularly difficult for him to comprehend.

Alpine left the Spanish Grand Prix bottom of the constructors’ championship after Fernando Alonso and Nico Hulkenberg picked up points for Aston Martin and Sauber respectively.

Pierre Gasly qualified in the top 10 at the Circuit de Catalunya but was always going to struggle to hold onto that position.

His teammate Franco Colapinto suffered a failure in qualifying that ruined his chances, but that won’t relieve any pressure on the young Argentine.

Gasly could be under pressure to retain his seat next season such is the brutality of Briatore’s decision-making.

He wants the best which is why he believes he was ‘right’ to drop future world champion Jenson Button for Alonso during his time as Renault team principal.

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

Flavio Briatore says he was ‘right’ to drop Jenson Button for Fernando Alonso

In an interview with Corriere della Sera, Briatore was speaking about his recent driver decisions.

Colapinto replaced Jack Doohan after six races in 2025 which was the latest driver swap Briatore oversaw during his time in Formula 1.

Speaking about the decision, Briatore said: “Even in the past, I decided to put a very young Fernando Alonso in the driver’s seat — back then he was just a test driver — instead of the more experienced Jenson Button.

“That decision unleashed the fury of the British press. But in the end, I was right.

“A manager is always alone when making big decisions. Then, over time, others come around.”

Briatore was then asked who the greatest F1 driver of all time was and answered: “I don’t know about of all time, because we’ve had Schumacher, Senna, Alonso… Right now, the number one is definitely Max Verstappen.”

When it was put to him that he might want Verstappen at Alpine, he said: “Two Verstappens — because I’ve got two cars.”

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Flavio Briatore far from impressed with Alpine’s performance at the Spanish Grand Prix

Alpine haven’t appointed a new permanent team principal since Oliver Oakes resigned after the Miami Grand Prix.

Briatore has taken on several team principal duties in the interim but has yet to oversee either of his drivers scoring a point.

Talking to the press after the race, Briatore said: “As a positive, we come away from Barcelona with some points after a tough weekend for the team.

“We know we are not where we want to be with the car and that has clearly shown in the last three back-to-back races.

“Pierre drove a solid race and the strategists made a good call to give him a free pit stop when the safety car came out, which meant he had fresher tyres to hold his position to the end.

“Franco’s afternoon was always going to be tough starting at the back and had a disappointing race, not progressing as much as we hoped. As a team, we must regroup and dig deep to get ourselves out of this position.”

Colapinto theoretically only has two Grand Prix left in his initial five-race stint and will be aware he needs to close the gap to Gasly.

Alpine have high hopes for 2026, but they’ll know they need to take immediate steps forward this year to avoid finishing bottom of the pile.