F1 fans were left reeling after it was reported that Alpine F1 will announce the signing of controversial figure Flavio Briatore as their advisor. The Italian is arguably the most polarizing man in modern F1 due to his involvement in the infamous 'Crash Gate' incident in 2008.
Briatore was the team principal of the Benetton F1 team during their championship-winning years with Michael Schumacher in 1994 and 1995. He also led the charge of the team under their Renault guise and guided Fernando Alonso to his two world titles in 2005 and 2006.
However, he faced a permanent ban from the sport after his involvement in the 'Crash Gate' incident at the 2008 Singapore GP after it was revealed that Nelson Piquet Jr. crashed on purpose to advantage his Renault teammate Alonso in the race, who eventually emerged victorious.
However, his ban was overturned by an independent French tribunal in early 2010. As per RacingNews365, the decision to bring in Briatore as Alpine's advisor was under the works for quite some time and would be announced in due course. There were reports as well about his involvement in helping the French team get a new power unit supplier amidst reports of them shutting down their F1 engine program.
F1 fans took to social media to give their reactions to the news of Briatore's return to the sport, with one fan left angered by his presence in the sport and saying:
"That man should be nowhere near F1".
One of the fans welcomed the news and claimed:
"He might actually reduce the number of crashes in the team, asking Esteban to do anything is a guarantee that he'll do the opposite."
Another claimed:
"The majority of F1 fandom that uses Twitter is too young to know who he is or what he did."
Another wrote:
"Wooooow calme down man, it's be fine".
An angered fan said:
"I hate Flavio Briatore, The actual race fixer. The fact that there's not a peep in F1 fandom over his return shows how fucked up our sport is".
Pierre Gasly gives his take on Alpine looking for a new power unit
Pierre Gasly stated that it was important for Alpine to consider the best options before coming to a decision that would help the team progress in the sport.
As per Motorsport, the French driver said:
"As a team, it's important to consider all options and then make up your mind on what's best in terms of performance. The targets are very clear for the team. We want to be competitive."
Gasly added:
"We want to be fighting at the front. All the conversations are very open with the team, so I trust in the decision of the top management and I don't have any particular worry on that side."
However, Alpine has not yet commented on the rumored decision to shut their engine operations or look for new power unit suppliers for the 2026 season as of yet.