Flavio Briatore Puts the Fernando Alonso Rumors to Rest: "The Driver is Not Our Priority

Flavio Briatore moved to cool down Fernando Alonso speculation, saying the “driver is really not our priority” for Alpine. The claims had circulated that Briatore could engineer a political push to bring Alonso back to Enstone for a surprise 2027 run. In an interview with The Race, Briatore argued that an elite driver only delivers value when the car itself is already competitive at the sharp end. He tied the message to Alpine’s deeper restructuring: Renault has shut down its Viry-Châtillon engine program, making the team a Mercedes customer from 2026, while Alpine’s Enstone staff has been cut from about 1,200–1,300 to 900.