Alpine’s executive advisor evaluated the start of the season in Melbourne and emphasized that the team must focus on improving key areas of the car to turn the project’s potential into consistent results.
The start of the 2026 Formula 1 season left mixed feelings within Alpine, and Flavio Briatore did not take long to express his evaluation of the team’s performance after the Australian Grand Prix. The Italian executive analyzed the weekend in Melbourne with a direct message to the Enstone structure: the project has potential, but it needs to progress more effectively to compete in the midfield of the grid.
After a race marked by pace difficulties and lack of consistency, Briatore pointed out that the result does not reflect the expectations the team had at the start of the championship. The executive was clear in explaining that the work done during the winter has not yet fully translated into on-track performance.
According to his analysis, Alpine’s main challenge is not located in a single area of the car, but in the interaction between several elements of the technical package. Aerodynamics, energy management and the overall setup of the car are part of a combination that still needs better balance to deliver competitive results.
Briatore insisted that the team must focus on improving without wasting time looking for excuses. “We have to work harder,” he said when referring to the path Alpine must follow to regain ground against its direct rivals on the grid.
The executive believes the project has a sufficient technical foundation to evolve throughout the season, but he stressed that progress will depend on the team’s ability to correctly interpret the data gathered during the first races.
The 2026 season also represents a particular scenario for all teams due to the regulatory change that introduced completely new single-seaters. That context forces engineers to reinterpret many technical concepts, which means even established teams go through adaptation phases during the opening rounds of the championship.
Within Alpine there is a perception that the car’s potential is greater than what was shown in Melbourne. However, turning that perception into results requires a deeper understanding of the car’s behavior under different race conditions.
Briatore emphasized that the first races of the calendar should serve as a learning foundation. Each session allows teams to gather information that is later used to adjust the development of the car and guide the evolution of the project throughout the championship.
The executive also stressed the importance of maintaining internal pressure within the team. For Briatore, Formula 1 demands a constant competitive mindset and a permanent capacity for self-criticism.
That approach is part of the philosophy the Italian has tried to transmit since his return to the structure. The idea is to build a team capable of reacting quickly to difficulties and of turning every race into an opportunity for improvement.
The Australian Grand Prix, in that sense, represents only the first step of the championship. For Alpine, the real challenge begins now, when the team must use the information gathered in Melbourne to redefine development priorities.
With the calendar moving toward the next races, Briatore’s message works as a clear internal signal: the project needs to evolve quickly if it wants to move closer to the fight for more competitive positions on the grid.