Ralf Schumacher shares why ‘really angry’ Flavio Briatore is no longer talking to him in the F1 paddock

Follow us on Google Discover

Alpine executive adviser Flavio Briatore and former F1 driver turned pundit Ralf Schumacher have never been shy about keeping their opinions to themselves.

Throughout Flavio Briatore’s decades working in Formula 1, he’s made some incredibly ruthless decisions.

He extracted Michael Schumacher from Jordan after just one race to bring him to Benetton, and won two drivers’ championships with the German legend.

Briatore helped Fernando Alonso become a two-time world champion with Renault, but other drivers haven’t been so lucky.

This season, Briatore never appeared to be convinced by Jack Doohan, deciding to replace him with Franco Colapinto after just six races.

Pierre Gasly has just signed a new long-term deal with Alpine through to 2028, but Briatore was initially unsure about Gasly when he first joined the team.

For Ralf Schumacher, the transition from driver to pundit has seen him become a leading voice in Germany.

Aston Martin boycotted Schumacher earlier in the season, and now, he’s explained why Briatore is no longer speaking to him in the paddock.

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

Ralf Schumacher explains Alpine boss Flavio Briatore snub in the Formula 1 paddock

Schumacher was reviewing the Italian Grand Prix on the Backstage Boxengasse Podcast.

After the race, Schumacher was quick to praise Lando Norris, despite losing out to Max Verstappen for the race win.

He then moved onto a different topic that involved Alpine’s de facto team principal and explained: “I know Flavio Briatore isn’t talking to me at the moment, he’s really angry with me because he misunderstood, because I simply said, OK, people like Flavio and, incidentally, Christian Horner alone have no future as the model, or you have to drive the McLaren model.

“One does marketing and takes care of the people, or also brings in the staff that Andrea Stella needs. However, this position has become so important that they must also concentrate fully on the future of the car, and that’s what I meant by that, and that also applies to Christian Horner, not just to Flavio Briatore, and it has nothing to do with age.

“I like Flavio, and of course, he may not be able to do this for another 100 years, but times have simply changed.”

READ MORE: Ralf Schumacher warns Lewis Hamilton he’ll start annoying Ferrari fans if he keeps doing one thing

Flavio Briatore provides an update on Alpine’s 2026 line-up including Franco Colapinto details

Alpine are one of four teams in the paddock yet to confirm both of their drivers ahead of next season.

Briatore, when speaking to Sky Sports F1 during the Italian Grand Prix weekend, explained: “For the moment, I believe Franco is doing a good job. He was a bit inexperienced in the beginning, like a lot of the rookies, young drivers.

“Now, in the last three, four races, he’s much more consistent, no mistakes, and maybe it’s Franco, maybe we’ll see.

“We have another four or five races to choose [from], and that’s when we’ll see.”

Briatore admitted Alpine needed to make a decision by November on their 2026 driver line-up.

With Gasly already confirmed, it means Colapinto might have just four more races to prove to Alpine that he should be their second driver for next season.

The experienced Italian negotiator rarely turns down a good deal, and while Colapinto brings plenty of backing with him, his performances on the track are gradually improving.

This could make the team’s decision for them, but Alpine’s previous interest in Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez suggests that Briatore isn’t completely sold on the 22-year-old yet.