Flavio Briatore is counting down to Alpine's switch from Renault's works engines at the season's end.
The 75-year-old, who guided the Enstone team to championships with Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso, returned as a key advisor to Renault CEO Luca de Meo.
Among his early calls was to ditch in-house engine production, choosing customer Mercedes engines and gearboxes from 2026.
In Bahrain, also marking his birthday, Briatore was gifted a surprise P5 qualifying spot from Pierre Gasly, setting Alpine up to likely score its first 2025 points. "Without the engine deficit, we'd be on the front row," he told Auto Motor und Sport.
"Depending on the track, we lose three to four tenths of a second just through the powertrain," he added.
Despite a promising winter test, Alpine faltered in Melbourne, Shanghai, and Suzuka. "We weren't as bad as we looked," Briatore said.
"Our problem was that we never got the most out of the softest tire compound."
He also noted that engineers' attempts to offset the engine shortfall backfired. "The experiments didn't work," he admitted. "That's why I told the team before the weekend—'no more experiments. We'll drive like we did in the test'."
Briatore also faces questions about Jack Doohan, with rumours swirling of a potential swap for Franco Colapinto. While Gasly excelled, Doohan's P11 qualifying showed flaws knitting all sectors together. "He still needs to work on that," Briatore said. "Jack is fast, but not yet consistent."
