Flavio Briatore reveals what happened when he ‘tried to sign’ Adrian Newey and Carlos Sainz

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Flavio Briatore has revealed that he tried to sign Adrian Newey and Carlos Sainz to Alpine before they made their respective decisions.

There was a lot of intrigue over what Adrian Newey’s next move would be after announcing he would be leaving Red Bull at the end of the season, with rumours that Alpine made a late bid to secure his services.

Newey was reportedly considering an offer from Alpine after speaking to Briatore, who recently rejoined as their executive advisor, but ultimately rejected and will join Aston Martin in March next year.

Briatore also approached Sainz with the possibility of a drive for next season, after the current Ferrari man became a free agent for 2025.

Sainz had previously raced with Alpine under their Renault guise but decided to go with Williams, due to the issues with the French team in the background involving their engine project and uncertainty over their future.

Briatore revealed how the talks went down between the pair and he put forward his proposals when speaking to SoyMotor.

Alpine talks with Carlos Sainz and Adrian Newey ‘did not go well’

Briatore is known for being a businessman in the F1 paddock and is said to be one of the main instigators behind abandoning Alpine’s engine project at Viry Chatillon in favour of a switch to Mercedes power units for 2026.

Having successfully negotiated driver contracts before, including working alongside Fernando Alonso, it was slightly harder to convince both Newey and Sainz that Alpine would be a worthwhile gamble in the short term.

“We already have good and fast drivers, the problem is the car. I’m not one to buy drivers, I always like them to grow up at home. I did that with Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso,” said Briatore.

“I believe and hope that Doohan can give us guarantees in 2025. I tried to hire Carlos Sainz and Adrian Newey, but the negotiations did not go well.”

Failed F1 team proposes buying Alpine

Amid uncertainty surrounding Alpine as a team and their engine division, reports recently emerged that a failed F1 team entrant has proposed taking over the French outfit.

Asia-based and US-funded team ‘LKYSUNZ’ has shown interest in buying Alpine from Renault, having sent senior management a second investment proposal in August.

READ MORE: Everything we know about F1’s 2026 regulation changes so far from engines to tyres

In the proposal, they committed to fund and use the Renault F1 engine while also being open to the Alpine name still being used in some capacity.

General Motors has also shown interest in the engine project, with executives reportedly mulling over the prospect of buying the intellectual property ahead of its ambitions to join the grid in the future.