The seventh season of the widely popular Netflix show, Formula 1: Drive to Survive, was released just over one week ago. The 10 DTS episodes released this time around covered a lot of important details from last season, one of which was Flavio Briatore’s return to Alpine.
The former team principal left his post at Renault nearly two decades ago due to involvement with the team’s race-fixing incident at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, which ultimately cost Felipe Massa the world championship.
Briatore’s return to Alpine during the middle of last season was somewhat controversial, as many were questioning what his motives were for an eye-catching return. But from the moment he took his advisory role within the team, his influence could be felt.
Briatore has eyes on only one thing: success
The Italian businessman seemingly got to work right away. Moments from DTS this season showed Briatore’s impact, as one phone call to Carlos Sainz Jr. seemingly stopped him from signing with Williams at the time.
Towards the last few episodes, we see Jack Doohan sitting in Briatore’s office as the two are having a conversation. The Italian implied that he controlled the Australian driver, which fits the longstanding set of rumors that Doohan will be replaced by Franco Colapinto shortly after the start of the 2025 season.
Despite a strong showing in preseason testing, Alpine did not have the best of weekends in Melbourne. Pierre Gasly finished outside of the points and Doohan hit the wall early, which resulted in a DNF in his home Grand Prix.
But Alpine can show their true selves this coming weekend in Shanghai, as the weather should not hinder their performance.
Over the last few months, along with scenes from DTS, it has become clear that Briatore is here to turn Alpine into one of the top teams. Their prospects are quite good at the moment, with the team having corrected some issues from last season.
Additionally, they are set to head into 2026 with the Mercedes power unit, over their in-house Renault power unit, after Renault effectively shut down their engine factory.
Briatore has put forth a clear set of expectations on the team's path back to the top. He wants to see wins in 2026, with the expectation of competing for the constructor championship in 2027. While they might be able to produce the car for the task, the question then shifts to whether they can do the same with their driver lineup.
Considering the fact that the negotiations for 2027 will not begin until the next season starts, chances are that Doohan will not be in the picture. However, Briatore did have some interest in signing Gabriel Bortoleto, who could make the move if his tenure at Sauber/Audi does not go to plan.
Nevertheless, Briatore’s return to Alpine last season was only about bringing the team back to the top. The latest season of DTS gave fans a clear picture of his dedication to the task, and all that is left is to put it into action.