Pierre Gasly: “Flavio is pushing the team in an impressive way”
The French driver lent his support to the Italian after the ousting of his boss, Oliver Oakes, and the replacement of Jack Doohan by Franco Colapinto. The Normandy native feels that he is trying to push the team even further upwards.
A new reorganization for Alpine. Just a few months after his arrival as team principal, Oliver Oakes, former head of the Hitech team in F2, has resigned from the French team. Flavio Briatore, who replaces him in this position, cited personal reasons following this departure. The Italian also took the opportunity to silence rumors suggesting a potential link between this departure and the replacement of Jack Doohan by Franco Colapinto in the second seat.
Decisions that have sparked several criticisms, particularly due to Flavio Briatore’s already tumultuous past in F1 (notably since the Crashgate scandal in 2008). Nevertheless, the drivers have come to his defense, starting with Pierre Gasly. The Norman, the No. 1 driver for the Enstone team, stated that while his policy may seem questionable, it is conducted with the aim of having the best team possible and winning trophies in the coming years. Flavio is pushing the team impressively, striving to make the most of every element and truly working to improve the team’s situation, even declared the winner of the Italian Grand Prix in 2020. He arrives with great experience, an extensive network, he’s someone who brings changes, and sometimes, you need to be pushed and challenged, and that’s what he constantly does.
A tumultuous past in F1 already
The Italian is not new to this. As the director of Alpine when the team was still called Renault, Briatore did everything to try to bring Renault to success. A strategy that proved effective since the French team won two constructors’ titles and two drivers’ titles in 2005 and 2006 thanks to Fernando Alonso. However, the history mainly remembers the episode of the Singapore Grand Prix in 2008 where, to make Fernando Alonso win, he asked his teammate Nelson Piquet Jr to have an accident.
Returned to Alpine last June as an executive advisor and now the team director, the Italian businessman hopes to replicate what he achieved at Renault, bringing a midfield team to the top position. For Pierre Gasly, Briatore is still capable of doing it. “I think he has brought a lot of good things to the team. Obviously, it’s not a sport where things will change in two or three months. We need some time, but he is clearly pushing everyone in the right direction.”
Taking risks to be able to move forward
The Normand also expressed his opinion regarding Briatore’s choices, particularly the decision to end Renault’s engine program starting in 2026 to become a Mercedes customer. A choice that Gasly understands. « We are simply questioning the process and how we proceed, and we are wondering if we are doing it in the best possible way. We do a lot of great things, but it’s a constantly evolving sport, and we must always think about what we are doing, how to follow technology, and how to advance the team. I think Flavio is working well with the guys, and I think overall, we are making a lot of progress. »
Starting from the Imola Grand Prix next week, Pierre Gasly will have a new teammate in the person of Franco Colapinto with a contract for only five races. A way for Flavio Briatore to evaluate all his drivers in order to form the best possible team.
