Briatore: Alpine Rejected Ferrari Because They are "Second Best"

Flavio Briatore has never been one to mince words, and his explanation for Alpine’s switch to Mercedes power is characteristically blunt. The Italian advisor, who returned to the Enstone team to oversee its restructuring, revealed that he turned down the opportunity to partner with Ferrari because he viewed the Scuderia’s engine as inferior to what Mercedes could offer. For Briatore, the goal for Alpine was simple: eliminate all excuses by securing the absolute best equipment available.

No Interest in Second Place

Alpine’s decision to shut down its own Renault engine program was a seismic shift for the French manufacturer, transitioning them from a works team to a customer outfit. When evaluating potential suppliers for the 2026 regulations, Briatore assessed the field and concluded that Mercedes was the gold standard. He told Blick that he had no interest in negotiating with the "second best," a direct jab at Ferrari's recent engine performance relative to the Silver Arrows.

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"There are no more excuses for not performing," Briatore declared. By locking in a supply of Mercedes engines and gearboxes, Alpine has effectively replicated the technical baseline of McLaren and the Mercedes works team. This move places the pressure squarely on the aerodynamics and chassis departments to deliver. If the car is slow, it won’t be because of the power unit.

A Gamble on German Engineering

Briatore’s confidence in Mercedes suggests that he knows something about the 2026 development war that others might not. While Cadillac has chosen to partner with Ferrari for its debut season, Alpine is betting the house on German engineering. Briatore noted that with newcomers like Red Bull-Ford, Audi, and Honda-Aston Martin all entering the fray with unknowns, relying on a proven giant like Mercedes was the safest path to immediate competitiveness.

Whether his assessment of Ferrari as "second best" will come back to haunt him remains to be seen. However, the message from Briatore is clear: Alpine is done with mediocrity. They have made a ruthless choice to cut ties with their own history in pursuit of victory, and they believe Mercedes is the engine that will drive them back to the podium.