Alpine turns into Flavio Briatore’s 1994 Benetton: a ruthless battle for the second seat begins. Alpine turns into Flavio Briatore’s 1994 Benetton.

Tense hours for Flavio Briatore at Alpine
The resignation of Oliver Oakes, alongside quickly denied rumours of internal tensions at Alpine and the rotation between Franco Colapinto and Jack Doohan, mark intense times for Flavio Briatore. The manager and businessman from Cuneo, who returned to Enstone in 2024 as executive advisor directly reporting to Renault Group CEO Luca De Meo to restore order in a struggling team, is once again taking on the role that made him famous in the 1990s and 2000s.

And perhaps it’s no coincidence that his first move as de facto team principal – although not formally, Alpine has announced there will be no casting for a new team boss and that Flavio Briatore will perform the duties himself – is precisely the swap between Franco Colapinto and Jack Doohan. The 75-year-old is thus carrying out one of his plans set at the start of the year, as it was clear from the moment the 21-year-old Argentine was announced as reserve driver that the goal was to put pressure on, and eventually replace, the rookie Australian.

Alpine 2025 like Benetton 1994?
In a recent interview with Sky during the Miami GP weekend, Flavio Briatore did not deny the rumours of an imminent driver change, even stating that he had inherited the decision to put Doohan in the car, which had already been made by the previous management before his arrival. What’s certain is that the dynamics triggered by this rotation at Alpine appear to be a direct replica of what happened at Benetton in 1994, a kind of F1-style Hunger Games to find the ideal teammate for the undisputed team leader.

Back then, JJ Lehto, injured during winter testing, was replaced by young test driver Jos Verstappen. Super Max’s father only drove in the first two races, returning to the cockpit in the seventh round of the season, as Lehto’s performance after returning was not deemed satisfactory. Then, with only two races left in the championship, Verstappen senior also lost his seat to Johnny Herbert, who came from Ligier (then owned by Briatore) and was confirmed for 1995. The fact that Colapinto has been explicitly announced as a race driver for five GPs and that Alpine’s statement clearly mentions a rotation and “further assessments” before Silverstone, strongly suggests a repetition of that strategy. But without Michael Schumacher… and without fighting for a world title.