Flavio Briatore rubbishes what Valtteri Bottas said about Alpine after he signed for Cadillac

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Valtteri Bottas emerged as a potential candidate for Alpine were Flavio Briatore to replace Franco Colapinto, yet the Finn decided to make his F1 return with Cadillac.

The Formula 1 grid will grow to 22 cars in 2026, with Cadillac becoming the 11th team in the pinnacle of motorsport. F1 has not had 11 teams in the paddock since 2016 when the series welcomed Haas, who will no longer be the only American brand once Cadillac join the party.

Cadillac have also sought experienced drivers for their debut F1 season in 2026, with Bottas and Sergio Perez signing two-year contracts for General Motors’ crew. The Finn and Mexican have both spent 2025 on the sidelines, but they were keen to find seats on the 2026 F1 grid.

A drive for Alpine might have been available for Bottas or Perez, as well, as executive adviser Briatore is yet to commit to Colapinto staying in the team’s driver line-up. While Alpine have signed Pierre Gasly to a new contract through 2028, Colapinto only has a race-by-race deal.

Flavio Briatore counters Valtteri Bottas’ claims he spoke with Alpine about a 2026 F1 seat

Briatore promoted Colapinto from the 22-year-old’s reserve driver role for Alpine to replace Jack Doohan in May. Yet the Argentine is still to earn a single point in the A525 over his first 10 rounds. It is also now said that Alpine may axe Colapinto after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

READ MORE: Cadillac driver Valtteri Bottas’ life outside F1 from girlfriend to wine and gin

Alpine’s options to possibly replace Colapinto were reduced after Cadillac signed Bottas and Perez for 2026. Bottas claimed he held talks with Alpine before signing for Cadillac, the team he was always set on joining for 2026. Yet Briatore now claims he “never” spoke with Bottas.

Briatore told Auto Motor und Sport: “I never spoke to Bottas about 2026. I think the rumours that he might drive for Alpine helped him sign a contract with Cadillac.”

Flavio Briatore’s choice of words does not rule out talks with Valtteri Bottas for 2025

Cadillac confirmed the signings of Bottas and Perez at the end of August, with team principal Graeme Lowdon striving to put the last touches in place ahead of the brand’s debut in 2026. The GM crew also took two of Briatore’s options off the table, as Alpine and Perez held talks.

Briatore has also confirmed to AMuS that Perez approached Alpine to sound out a move. He said: “Perez called me. He asked me what our plans were. But, at the same time, he said he was close to reaching an agreement with Cadillac. I couldn’t offer him anything at the time.”

But Briatore now suggests the links between Alpine and Bottas were exaggerated, to the 36-year-old’s benefit in his talks with Cadillac. Although the Italian clarifying that he and Bottas “never” spoke about 2026 does not rule out the Finn and Alpine discussing a seat for 2025.

As Colapinto’s start to his life as an Alpine driver struggled to get off the ground, there were claims that Briatore could drop the Argentine and sign Bottas for the rest of this year. Bottas claimed he spoke to Briatore about joining Alpine in July and he was ready to “jump in”, too.