Alpine’s present executive advisor, Flavio Briatore‘s story in F1 is a saga of controversies and legacies. After actively involving himself in the infamous Crashgate incident in 2008, Briatore received a lifetime ban from F1. However, overturning the blockage in trial, he found his way back into the paddock. He is on a quest to revive his glory days. And since his return, Alpine’s world has turned upside down.

Recently, the team removed their team principal, Bruno Famin and according to Guenther Steiner, this has everything to do with Flavio Briatore. The former Haas boss was asked if he believes Famin’s removal involves the advisor.

Steiner said: “I would say so, yeah, That’s what he was taking on as an executive advisor. I think it should be one of these things where they look for his (Bruno Famin’s) replacement and they don’t have one. And then Flavio’s like, ‘Well I guess I’ll do it. I have to do it myself’.”

He further told The Red Flag Podcast, “Well, it seems like he’s interested and we were curious if he was going to be how committed he was in the first place. But it seems like he’s in there. He’s chopping off heads and sacking everybody. So maybe, he is going to be the one who steps in.” Surprisingly, Flavio Briatore didn’t take over as the team principal. However, the saga of sacking key individuals could continue in the upcoming days.

Even if Briatore seemed interested in taking the post, he did not. It remains a mystery what goes on in the mind of the mastermind. However, the clouds of suspense didn’t accumulate for long. With the appointment of a new team principal, who’s going to be on Briatore’s chopping block? The Alpine squad remains in a state of tension.

Can Flavio Briatore save Alpine from its downfall?

The French team was in a good spot this time last year. But 2024 brought with it nothing except disappointment. The cars were extremely slow and the team’s internal situations made it difficult for the team to perform. However, the arrival of Flavio Briatore brought some hope, but it didn’t last long.

Following a mass exodus of vastly experienced senior staff at the struggling F1 outfit over the past 12 months, including the exit of Esteban Ocon, the team said it would sack itself in a bid to improve its overall performance.

Above all, Renault is withdrawing itself from F1 engine suppliers to Alpine. This means that either Alpine has to begin manufacturing engines, which is near to impossible or they have to look for a different supplier. Recently, there have been rumors that they were considering Mercedes, but no information has been revealed yet.

So, Flavio Briatore has to deal with more than one problem. Does 2025 look promising? Not really. Has this affected the Carlos Sainz transfer? Yes. Now, the team relies on Flavio Briatore and his strategies to revive the team. Can he do it?

Alpine finds itself in the middle of an ocean of problems. And Flavio Briatore finds himself in a very important position. With the introduction of Oliver Oakes as the new team principal, molding the team becomes necessary. However, the storm behind the closed gates could be more problematic than one can imagine.

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