Alpine advisor Flavio Briatore said Carlos Sainz's desire to spend a maximum of four years with the French team ultimately led to a breakdown in negotiations.
Sainz had been considered for Alpine before confirming a move to Williams, but Briatore claims the Spaniard only wanted to stay at the team for four seasons.
Flavio Briatore explains the failure of the Sainz/Alpine negotiations
Carlos Sainz found himself in a tricky situation, being in a top team with no prospect of a transition, with Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren having already chosen other drivers for their F1 seats in 2025.
This caused his expectations to drop, leading to teams like Alpine and Williams showing interest in him. However, it was only after Briatore was re-hired in June that the Enstone team began to look into Sainz's case.
However, no deal was ever reached and ultimately Sainz signed with Williams. Regarding the 30-year-old's choice to opt for Grove and not Enstone, Briatore said Alpine was not willing to take on a driver who would not be there for the long term.
“Either he believes in our project or he doesn't,” Briatore told AMuS. “I don't need a driver who costs me a lot of money and who only thinks about leaving for another team if an opportunity arises.”
Alpine ultimately decided to promote its academy driver, Jack Doohan, to accompany Pierre Gasly in 2025, but since the Australian's appointment in August, rumors are already circulating regarding a possible swap with Franco Colapinto.
As for Sainz, his new boss James Vowles insisted that the driver is part of a long-term approach and does not see Grove as a simple stepping stone before returning to a top team.
“The message that he is committed to 2025, 2026 and beyond does not come from me. That was formulated by Carlos,” Vowles said of the Sainz signing announcement.
“He wanted to make it perfectly clear to all of you and to the world that he is committed and this is where he wants to be. There are exactly 10 people in the world who know what's in the contract, but Carlos and I know what's in it. So everything you read on the internet is speculation, and that’s it.”
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