Alpine top advisor Flavio Briatore sees the current situation at competitor Aston Martin as a good warning to Formula 1 teams. According to the former Renault team boss, the British team does have better facilities than the other teams, but it is still not competitive. “That is why I don’t look at what the other teams have,” said Briatore.
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Aston Martin has invested quite a bit in facilities in recent years. In 2023, the team moved to a completely new factory – just a stone’s throw from the Silverstone circuit – while two years later the brand new wind tunnel was put into use. Yet the expected results remain absent: with only one World Championship point scored in Monaco, Aston Martin is currently second to last in the constructors’ championship.
According to Alpine boss Flavio Briatore, the situation at Aston Martin is a good warning for the other teams. “I don’t look at what the other teams have,” the Alpine top advisor told The Race. “Of course, maybe another team has better facilities. But we also see the example of Aston Martin, with the best facilities in the world and the best engineer in the world. And it is not so competitive.”
Exodus
Briatore explains how the motivation and belief of team members in Grand Prix wins ultimately play a decisive role in the success of a racing team. According to the boss, this also caused the exodus at Alpine itself. “We lost a lot of good people in the factory because at some point there was no clear direction,” he explained. “Previously, there was no clear picture at Alpine because there were so many changes. Now we have stability.”
As a result, many departed team members regret their choice, Briatore says. “People call who want to join the team, who want to help,” the boss said. “In the past, everyone took their chance to leave for Cadillac, Aston Martin, and so on, and so on. Now many people want to come back.”
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