FLAVIO BRIATORE has dismissed suggestions that Christian Horner could join Alpine following his recent departure from Red Bull Racing.
The Italian executive director stated clearly during Friday’s Dutch Grand Prix that he had not considered such a move.
Horner’s potential leadership of the Renault-owned team had been widely speculated as his next career move after last month’s dismissal.
Briatore, who now leads Alpine following Oliver Oakes’ departure, addressed the rumours directly by stating “I’m not considering in this moment anything.”
He further clarified that “Christian is not in Formula One in this moment anymore” while expressing hope for his eventual return to the sport.
Rumours have also circulated about Horner potentially joining forces with Briatore and former Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone to purchase a stake in Alpine.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff humorously described this potential collaboration as “the mafia reunited” while expressing enthusiasm for such a development.
Wolff noted that such a partnership “would be an exciting story and would create a lot of buzz around Formula One” while adding that the sport needs more prominent personalities.
He reflected on Formula One’s “grand era of team owners and team principals” including figures like Frank Williams and Ron Dennis, suggesting the sport could benefit from similar characters today.
Briatore separately admitted that Alpine might have erred in replacing Jack Doohan with Franco Colapinto, who has struggled at the back of the grid without scoring championship points.
The executive director acknowledged that “maybe we put too much pressure on him” while recognising that young drivers need careful management.
Briatore concluded that “maybe it was not the right timing to have Franco in Formula One” and suggested another year of preparation might have been beneficial. – Reuters
