Flavio Briatore now already making plans to sign ‘phenomenal’ driver for Alpine in 2026

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The 2025 Formula 1 grid is almost complete after Sauber finally confirmed their second driver for next season.

Gabriel Bortoleto has been released from the McLaren driver program to join Sauber for next season and will be racing alongside Nico Hulkenberg when Audi officially take over in 2026.

The Brazilian is the fourth rookie to be confirmed to be joining the grid next year alongside Kimi Antonelli, Oliver Bearman and Jack Doohan, with Liam Lawson almost certainly set to join them.

It’s a sign of the direction F1 is going in that it’s not just midfield teams like Haas and Alpine taking a risk on young drivers, but Mercedes are also putting their faith in a largely untested teenager.

However, even though the RB/Red Bull seat situation is the only unresolved matter to be sorted out before next year, teams are already looking towards 2026 and beyond.

A major rule change will come into play in 2026 and so teams appear to want a settled driver line-up going into F1’s new era to avoid too much uncertainty being created when developing their new cars.

However, a report from F1 Insider suggests that Alpine executive advisor Flavio Briatore already has other ideas.

Pierre Gasly is an established F1 driver and his performance at the recent Sao Paulo Grand Prix highlights his already well-known credentials.

Much bigger question marks remain around Doohan ahead of his F1 debut and Briatore is already putting plans into place to try and extract Bortoleto from his Sauber contract if needed for 2026.

Flavio Briatore wants Gabriel Bortoleto at Alpine in 2026

The report from F1 Insider explains that while Bortoleto is advised by Fernando Alonso, Briatore is also in the young Brazilian’s ear.

Briatore is said to have recommended Bortoleto to Audi chief Mattia Binotto, although it’s unclear how much of an influence he had on the final decision.

READ MORE: Who is Gabriel Bortoleto? F2 and McLaren junior driver’s age, nationality, stats and more

They go on to say that Briatore could then look to bring in the ‘phenomenal’ Brazilian – as per Alex Jacques – in 2026 if things don’t go to plan with Doohan, or Gasly ends up moving elsewhere.

It is believed the Italian has ‘power of attorney’ over Alpine’s driver line-up and while Briatore played a role in Doohan’s promotion, he will want the strongest pairing possible at the French manufacturer going forward.

Franz Tost unsure about Sauber signing Gabriel Bortoleto

Former AlphaTauri – now RB – team principal Franz Tost was asked about Bortoleto’s move to Sauber and said: “Bortoleto is a risky decision.

“He has done a good job in the junior classes so far, but the jump to Formula 1 is huge.

“The cars are relatively easy to drive in dry conditions, but in the rain in Sao Paulo, you saw what happened to the other highly praised junior drivers: Oliver Bearman was often off the track and mostly seemed overwhelmed.

“And Franco Colapinto had two serious accidents. That cost Williams millions. Politically speaking, it would also be an extremely unfortunate decision.”

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Alpine F1 Team from team principal to lineage

Alpine are on a high right now, with Briatore delighted with how much potential prize money they earned in Brazil after securing the unlikeliest of double podiums.

However, it’s not a team known for long-term stability having switched out their team principal on a yearly basis for some time now.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if the same thing happened with their drivers as well.