After a
2025 season that could be described, with indulgence, as a
total disaster,
Alpine is nevertheless beginning to find some stability.
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The recent breakthrough of
Franco Colapinto into the points, as well as the solid
sixth place of
Pierre Gasly in Shanghai – followed by a heroic
25-lap defense against
Max Verstappen in Japan – have restored some hope
to the French team.
Briatore circumspect
However, Briatore remains
cautious and refuses to promise short-term miracles.
Asked about a precise roadmap for aiming for victory,
he was unusually humble.
“It’s a very
difficult question. I don’t know. We are trying to do our best and
to progress year after year, he asserts. But
now, we have everything to be competitive. We are very
satisfied with the engine we have. We are quite happy with
the whole team. Of course, we have made many changes,
and we must prepare the base, the cornerstone, to
build the team.”
The discourse around Alpine has
evolved: from technical problems, we have moved to
deeper questions about the future of the project. The transition
from a Renault works team to a Mercedes engine customer
status, combined with rumors of a possible 24 %
stake by Mercedes, fuels
speculation about a potential Renault withdrawal.
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Commitment despite uncertainties
Briatore is nevertheless
categorical: “It takes a few years, like for every
one else. We want to win, and we will see. We are simply
working hard and seeing what happens. But we are very
committed, Renault is committed, and the team is committed. So we
will see. We are doing our best like everyone else.”
The message is clear, even
if it may frustrate impatient fans: Alpine is still in a
construction phase, not a consecration phase. For a team
once associated with world titles – notably during the
Fernando Alonso era and the golden age of Enstone – the return
to the top promises to be longer and more complex than
Renault’s initial five-year plan had hoped.
According to Briatore, there will be no
shortcuts: only hard work, gradual progress, and
the hope that it will eventually bear fruit.
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