Is the 'Flavio effect' real? Gasly explains Briatore's Alpine impact

Alpine was much more competitive at other races too though, with Gasly qualifying third in Vegas. It was some turnaround.

While things were improving off-track, the wheeler-and-dealer was back to what he knows best away from it too, negotiating a controversial switch for Alpine to use Mercedes power units, which meant the end of F1 engine production at Renault’s Viry Renault engine factory after 50 years. He removed Esteban Ocon from the team before the last race of the year too.

Speaking to Motor Sport, Pierre Gasly says of Briatore’s effect on Alpine: “It’s having an impact everywhere.”

What does Briatore himself think he changed at the team to help contribute to the upturn in form?

“The first impression when we arrived in Enstone [upon returning] was a group of people producing a car, and the people didn’t care if the car was quick or slower, or whatever – this was [just] a job,” he said at the 2025 Alpine car launch.

“Now you see the difference from the people. You see passion about the people, you saw last night, I was in the factory [when staff were working late].

“So it’s come back to being a racing team. This is what we want. The spirit is there in this building, [where] we won seven championships.”

Since joining the team in 2023, a driver who is at a crucial stage of his career – being in his late 20s, arguably at his peak – had been worried by his best years being wasted at directionless midfield team. The harmony between Gasly and Briatore could prevent this from happening.

“What Gasly did in in the last six, seven, eight races was completely different to what I imagined was ‘Gasly’, says Briatore. “He’s done a super job.”

But apart from restoring the feel-good rock & roll vibes back to Enstone, is Briatore actually doing anything? Yes, according to Gasly.

“We speak weekly with Flavio,” he says. “He’s very involved in the team, but in all departments, he’s got a huge experience. He’s been in Enstone, won with Enstone.

“We align very well” Pierre Gasly

“I must say, we align very well on the ambitions, where we want to take the team and the next step – what’s good, what’s missing etc.

“He’s brought the mindset and mentality back from his winning days, and that’s where he wants the team to go.

“You can see some effects on the staff and the way we do things, the attention to detail we put into the work – whether it’s at the factory or at the track. He’s an influential person.

“It’s definitely having an impact pretty much everywhere.”

Briatore has worked in conjunction with his hire Oliver Oakes to bring back that winning approach to Alpine. The young British team boss emphasises that a lot of its better results towards the end of last season came actually as a result of improved race operations – getting pitstops and strategy right – as opposed to actually making the car any faster.

“I think putting particular focus back on racing,” says Oakes when he’s asked what he feels he’s changed at the team.

“I’ve said a few times that is the priority. I think some of the results at the end of last year really was testament to that – we executed really good races in difficult conditions. Everyone talks about Brazil, but actually Qatar was fantastic, as well as Abu Dhabi.”

The softly spoken Oakes makes an amusing double act with Briatore, definitely F1’s fire and ice. When pushed on whether Briatore actually does much, Oakes is adamant on the benefit of having the veteran boss around.

“It’s genuinely it’s cool having him here,” says Oakes. “We’re in touch every day – we literally left the factory to get here five minutes ahead of him, and he’s ringing me on the road! There’s never any conflict, because at the end of the day we’re both so invested in the team.”

So is Oakes just the Briatore puppet, or are they two different pieces of the puzzle?

Rather than meddling from above, the Alpine advisor seems to have got the man he wants for the job as its latest principal.

“The team responded very well,” says Briatore of bringing in Oakes. “I appointed Ollie. I decided to have him because he’s young, he’s ambitious and he knows the business – and his house is very close to the factory!”

As charming as he can be in person though, Briatore is hardly scared of ringing the changes. Last year he moved Renault motor sport boss Bruno Famin (who was also acting as Alpine F1 principal) aside for Oakes, told Ocon his contract wouldn’t be renewed after nerfing into Gasly at Monaco, and has now brought in late 2024 sensation Franco Colapinto as a third reserve driver – ramping up pressure on its rookie race driver Jack Doohan.

This is in addition to the highly contentious engine switch – ironically highlighting a duty to those at Enstone while seemingly forgetting Viry.

“I’ve made changes before, because of people [usually drivers!] not performing,” he says. “We have the responsibility of 1000 staff, 1000 people working in the factory, and we need to respect these people working very hard. I expect the best from everybody, everybody working together to winning a race.”

Same team, different era then. How does Briatore think F1 has changed from when he first emerged on the grand prix scene – famously having a bedroom at Enstone when it was called Benetton before changing to Renault?

“When Benetton was in Witney [before Enstone], it was basically two cabins – and this was the racing team!” he remembers. “And after a few years with ‘Schumi’ [Michael Schumacher] we won the championship. The team was in very bad shape again before we won the championship twice with Fernando [Alonso].

“So now we come back to the same office [in Enstone]. Nothing changed, it’s the same! I’m missing my bedroom – now it’s a meeting room.

“Now [the championship] is much more concentrated on the show, the perception of Formula 1 is much stronger. Now much more young people are interested.

“In ‘our’ time we wanted to go to America, it was impossible. We race in the parking lot of the Four Seasons [Caesars Palace in Las Vegas], or wherever. Before we had less than 100,000 people attending races, now we have nearly half a million!”

And making deals?

“You ask for much more money now!” he laughs. “In a way it’s easier, because you have far more merchandising etc, but it’s much of more difficult [than it used to be] because the numbers are more difficult. 20 years ago, you asked for five now you ask for 25!”

Along with bringing in the charismatic Colapinto (who seems to have dragged the support of most of South America along with him), Briatore’s freewheeling presence seems to have transformed Alpine from an also-ran oddity to something that maybe even looks slightly cool (if you squint a bit). People now have a few reasons to support the team.

If Alpine can carry on its 2024 trajectory into this season, there could be yet more sponsors knocking on the door of the arch negotiator before too long.