Pierre Gasly delivers emphatic Flavio Briatore claim after Alpine return

Pierre Gasly believes "not even the sky is the limit" for Flavio Briatore as he tries to turn Alpine in a world championship-challenging team once again. 

Briatore has been at the helm for 'Team Enstone' for its title-winning heydays of Michael Schumacher in the mid-1990s and Fernando Alonso a decade later, but left F1 in disgrace after the crash-gate saga around the 2008 Singapore GP. 

After a turbulent period for the Enstone operation, now badged as Alpine with CEO Laurent Rossi, team boss Otmar Szafnauer, sporting director Alan Permane all leaving, Briatore returned as an executive advisor to then-Renault boss Luca de Meo in May 2024.

His task was to get the team onto a straight path and provide some stability following the turbulence, with F1 and FIA veteran Steve Nielsen being signed as chief motorsport operations officer from September 1st to fill the void left by Oliver Oakes' resignation as team principal in May.

Nielsen is working alongside Dave Greenwood - Kimi Raikkonen's former engineer serving as racing director as the team prepares to transition from works Renault engines to a customer Mercedes supply in 2026.

But at the heart of this effort, Gasly has spoken strongly of Briatore's determination to restore Enstone to title-winning ways for a third time.

"I must say, [the media] probably knows him and has more stories than I because I only really got to know him since he arrived last year," Gasly exclusively told RacingNews365.

"You need time to open up and understand each other's personalities, and at the start, it was all-track focused. 

"The more we work together, we create a stronger bond and now we have started to know a bit more about each person and how we act.

"He invited me onto his boat, and I spent some time with him, and it is good to see what his vision is, what he wants from the team. He's been a very successful businessman and has a lot of experience in F1, but also outside of F1. He is a true leader.

"That is what I want at the end of the day, I want to win, and that is what I want in my career. I want to finish my career knowing I don't want to compete in F1, I want to win in F1, and I want to build a team that can give me a car to race and fight for wins.

"Some teams, obviously, want it, but the reality is they'll always settle for the midfield. Flavio doesn't have any limits, not even the sky is the limit for Flavio. 

"He is really committed to Formula 1 and the team to put Enstone back on top as he did some years ago, and obviously things have evolved, but he's very much aware of that and he wants to make it happen, and is putting the work in."

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Gasly motivation

2025 has been a difficult year for the team, with the A525 currently last in the constructors' on 20 points heading into the Dutch GP. 

Gasly has scored all 20 points as Jack Doohan and Franco Colapinto have yet to finish better than P13 in their combined 14 grands prix. 

Explaining how he keeps himself motivated, one-time race winner Gasly explained how "finding personal challenges" was key to pushing to deliver more from himself.

"I have a very good relationship with Flavio and the key management in the team, and I can really see where their mindset is, the processes that are changing and what is actually evolving," he added.

"I would be worried right now if nothing changed because we're obviously not in a good place, but we have a lot of great people, we have great staff, and we are adding key people to the factory. 

"We are starting with brand-new regulations, and fortunately, with the situation we are in, we have more wind-tunnel time for next season compared to the other teams. 

"We have the change of engine manufacturer, which is going to take some adaptation, but we know that on paper, we are in a decent place for next year. 

"So for me, I'm just trying to grind my way through 2025, keeping my motivation up, and whenever I have a steering wheel in my hands, I need to give my best to deliver the best job I can."

"It can be finding personal challenges to keep me motivated and also building the team that I need next year if we have a car which can fight for the top five or podiums or wins"