F1 team boss feels like a ‘tourist’ attending races, ‘every Sunday is torture’

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The 2025 Formula 1 season has seen tense battles up and down the grid, but one team principal has not been enjoying his year, to say the least.

McLaren wrapped up their second consecutive constructors’ title in 2025 at the Singapore Grand Prix. Winning 13 races thus far, they can now focus on winning the drivers’ championship, with Lando Norris leading Oscar Piastri by just one point.

Max Verstappen is still in the frame for the title as he sits 36 points behind Norris. He has been flourishing since Red Bull’s resurgence under Laurent Mekies, with P2 in the constructors’ standings still possible.

Red Bull are delaying their 2026 driver decision as they want to focus on Verstappen’s title charge, as well as keeping Yuki Tsunoda in the right frame of mind to help in the constructors’ championship fight. Red Bull are just 10 points behind Ferrari in fourth, with Mercedes in between them.

Williams look in a good position to finish P5, while sixth to ninth are separated by 12 points, with millions on the line in prize money. But for Alpine, their season has been a procession since the very beginning.

Flavio Briatore says ‘every Sunday is torture’ for Alpine in 2025

The Enstone outfit hit trouble in 2024 as they struggled to regularly score points with an underdeveloped car. A double podium in Sao Paulo propelled them to sixth in the standings, but things have not improved in 2025.

The A525 has been desperately uncompetitive, with Pierre Gasly managing just 20 points all year. Teammate Jack Doohan was dropped six races into 2025 after rookie mistakes plagued him.

Replacement Franco Colapinto has fared little better, scoring no points since he took over from Doohan at Imola. Alpine have lacked qualifying and race pace all season, with boss Flavio Briatore left feeling like a ‘tourist’ during races.

Speaking to The Race, he admitted that Sundays are ‘torture’ for the team, as their effort behind the scenes goes unrewarded: “We are here for winning. We are not to be a tourist to go around the world.

“It’s very hard, this situation for us. I’m not used to it. I was used to it 20 years ago, but now every Sunday is torture.

“You have no chance. You arrive in places and you see the mechanics put the garage together, working very hard. Then you watch all these people doing the best effort as possible, and you don’t have the possibility to enjoy the race, to go back home with the points.

“It’s very frustrating. I hope next year we pay everything back double!”

READ MORE: Who is Alpine’s F1 executive adviser Flavio Briatore? Everything to know

Could things improve for Alpine with Mercedes engines in 2026?

The writing seemed to be on the wall for Alpine at the start of the season, after Renault closed down their factory at Viry-Chatillon.

Subsequently, Gasly and Colapinti have an ‘increasingly serious’ problem as they are running out of spare engine parts amid Renault’s exit from F1. They will desperately hope that the 2026 regulations will bring an upturn in fortune.

On paper, that could be the case, as Alpine will become a Mercedes customer team from next season. Early indications suggest that Mercedes will have the fastest power unit under the new regulations, which could see an increase in performance from the team.

Colapinto looks likely to extend his Alpine contract, while Gasly already penned a new deal earlier this year. With Mercedes on board, the Enstone outfit will pray for improved results after a dismal 2025 season.