Alpine team advisor Flavio Briatore has dismissed the urgency of placing Franco Colapinto in a race seat, despite intense speculation surrounding Jack Doohan's position.
Doohan's errors and lack of pace have fuelled rumours that his 2025 contract may only cover the first six races—or fewer. Meanwhile, Briatore has made no secret of his preference for Colapinto, the 21-year-old Argentine secured on a lucrative loan from Williams.
However, he told La Stampa newspaper: "Colapinto? Let's see. The priority is to have a top-level car that is up to par with the four giants McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari."
The 74-year-old recounted his return to the sport, spurred by an offer to assist Renault CEO Luca de Meo in reviving the Enstone-based team's fortunes.
Briatore suggested that sticking with Doohan might be the smarter move for now. "It's not just about putting a kid in a car," he said, "because then they are dealing with everything else—the pressure, the interviews, the criticism, 100,000 spectators in the stands."
He cited Liam Lawson's stint at Red Bull as an example of a young driver unready for such scrutiny.
La Stampa noted Doohan's lineage as the son of MotoGP icon Mick Doohan, drawing parallels with Lance Stroll, whose father owns Aston Martin. "(Lawrence) Stroll has his own team and is a separate case," Briatore responded. "As for Jack, you can be Mick's son but if you're not competitive you're going nowhere. Every driver is fast of course, but it's not easy."
Looking ahead, Briatore outlined Alpine's timeline. "We are at the starting point," he said.
"We started from very far behind, and only in 2026 will we have the complete Mercedes package—engine and gearbox. In 2026 we must be competitive but the real goal is 2027."
In a show of solidarity, Briatore also addressed the ongoing scrutiny facing Red Bull's Christian Horner over allegations of sexual misconduct. "Nowadays, F1 is so media-focused that if you go into an elevator with a woman you even have to be careful," he said.
"In terms of abuse, we have gone from one extreme to the other. I'm not saying that things were better before, but we need something fair, something just."
