Flavio Briatore, now Alpine F1's executive consultant, says Fernando Alonso, a driver he also manages, could well have remained with the French team if the team's management, at the time headed by Laurent Rossi, had been up to the task.
Briatore, who has looked after Alonso for more than 20 years, reveals that the Spaniard has also received a concrete offer from Williams to continue his career.
“Alpine wanted to sign him for 2023. Discussions were at an advanced stage, but no contract signing was made.”
“Fernando wanted to stay because the previous season wasn't that bad. We wanted to sign the contract in Canada. Then Laurent Rossi suddenly disappeared. We couldn't reach him anymore. Then I started talking to Lawrence Stroll at Aston Martin.
“We even got an offer from Williams. I told them: 'get your team in order first'. In the end we signed with Aston Martin because we didn't get along well with the management. 'Alpine. The mistakes were made by management.'
Briatore does not hesitate to charge Rossi when thinking back to this famous summer of 2022.
“It surely takes a good dose of incompetence when you lose two drivers like Fernando Alonso and Oscar Piastri in one summer.”
In any case, the Italian continues to admire what Alonso is doing in F1.
“Fernando is the exception. I have been his manager for 22 years. He has money, but no children. And he is always hungry.”
“If he finishes 14th, he wants to be 13th. Someone else his age would just do his job, nothing more.”
“I now have two feelings. On the one hand, I hope that Fernando can make a fresh start with Adrian Newey at Aston Martin in 2026, but on the other hand, he is racing against us, against Alpine.
“But still, wouldn’t a world championship title as a farewell be a brilliant story?”
