Flavio Briatore doesn’t close door on Carlos Sainz: “If he wants to come to Alpine in 2026, we’ll be here”. Flavio Briatore, has stated that the door will always remain open for Carlos Sainz to join Alpine.

Despite Carlos Sainz turning down an offer to join the Alpine team for the 2025 Formula 1 championship, preferring Williams instead, the French team’s executive advisor, Flavio Briatore, has stated that the door will always remain open for the Spaniard. For now, rookie Jack Doohan, who has been part of the Academy for several years, has been promoted in place of the Ferrari driver.

In a recent interview with Motorsport Magazin, Flavio Briatore explained the decision by saying: “There’s no disappointment. Carlos was an opportunity, but it was a bit too early. Before we talk about drivers, we need to talk about having a competitive car, because if the car doesn’t work, it doesn’t matter which driver is behind the wheel. We need to clean up with Oliver Oakes, the team principal, and re-motivate everyone at Alpine.” – the former Renault team principal added.

The Italian manager continued: “A year ago, Max Verstappen was winning every race, and now that other cars are more competitive, he’s struggling. I don’t want to spend X millions on a driver because that’s not what makes the difference. We’re happy with Pierre Gasly and we now have a young driver, but if Carlos wants to come in 2026, we’ll be here.” – Flavio Briatore concluded.