2025 Alpine second driver ‘makes no difference’ - Briatore

Alpine advisor Flavio Briatore has revealed that deciding who will partner Pierre Gasly next season is not currently of importance, as a second driver "makes no difference now" with the team's situation.

Since Briatore returned to the Enstone-based outfit, it had attempted to sign Carlos Sainz from Ferrari, only for the Spaniard to sign a multi-year contract with Williams. 

The leading candidate to replace Haas-bound Esteban Ocon is its reserve driver, Jack Doohan. 

Doohan has completed several tests for the team and has been working closely with Alpine this season.

However, for the time being, announcing Gasly's team-mate is not vital for Briatore, who has highlighted the initial importance of improving other aspects of Alpine first so that a second driver can make a difference. 

When asked by the Formula For Success podcast who will partner Gasly, Briatore said: “I don’t know yet.

“At this moment, the driver is not… At the moment, you need to put the team together from the commercial side, the technical side, the management side. 

"The driver makes no difference now. The difference in 2026, 2027, 2028, this would be the difference for the driver."

Briatore targets 2026

Alpine started the current season with the weakest package and remains towards the back of the pecking order. 

The French side is eighth in the constructors' championship and it has been speculated that Alpine could become a customer outfit when the new power unit regulations are introduced in 2026. 

This is based on reports that Renault is considering axing its F1 power unit programme, with Alpine having already spoken to Mercedes over a possible deal. 

Briatore has outlined the car's performance and restructuring the team as the initial priority, with a good second driver then being needed to extract the most from an improved package. 

“For me, in this moment, it’s just the performance of the car. It’s just restructuring the team completely.

“If you have a good car, you need a good driver. If the car is not performing… Our point in this moment [is to] make sure we put all the energy in the technical side and make sure that the car of Alpine is looking better, better and better and improving for next year. 

"And 2026, I believe, we see the new Alpine.”