Flavio Briatore: “I’m a democratic dictator. We weren’t ready for Newey, but we have Sanchez”. Alpine manager Flavio Briatore aims to rebuild a ‘chain of command’.

Confidence in David Sanchez
The ‘little Horner’ and the former Ferrari genius who didn’t find a place at McLaren: Flavio Briatore, in his new role as Alpine advisor, has taken charge of the situation, starting from the rubble left by the previous management. The end of the 2024 season saw a strong finish for a team that seemed destined for second-to-last place in the Constructors’ standings.

Flavio Briatore appointed Oliver Oakes as team principal: “We chose Oliver Oakes as team principal because he’s young, motivated, and experienced in motorsport. Managing a Formula 1 team is certainly different from being a Formula 2 team principal, but Ollie learns very quickly. He’s an excellent choice,” Flavio Briatore said in an interview with the German outlet *Auto Motor und Sport*. “Why am I not the team principal? I’ve done that long enough. I want to focus on the bigger picture and not be in the factory in Enstone every day. I represent our president, Luca. I don’t need a title to do that. Everyone knows: I make the decisions. To implement them, you need a team principal and a technical director. I think of my old Benetton team. Back then, three or four people managed everything.”

“At the time, I had less experience, but fortunately, I had a great technical team around me with Ross Brawn, Rory Byrne, and Pat Symonds. Now we have a strong team under the leadership of our technical director, David Sanchez, a mix of people from the past and young engineers. From here, we need to build the new Ross Brawn, Rory Byrne, and Pat Symonds. I’m a democratic dictator. I trust people, as long as they earn my trust,” Flavio Briatore added.

Interestingly, Adrian Newey, the aerodynamic genius, was available on the market in 2024 after his shocking split with Red Bull. He joined Aston Martin instead. “Adrian is an artist. We’re not ready for someone like him yet. To benefit from him, you need the right team around him. Maybe we’ll be ready in two or three years. That’s why I never seriously talked to him,” Flavio Briatore commented on Aston Martin seizing the Newey opportunity.