Alpine Formula 1 team boss Flavio Briatore has delivered his verdict on the delicate driver situation facing Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur.
Ferrari has found itself in a quandary this year, as the Scuderia’s challenger started 2026 as the closest package to the all conquering Mercedes W17.
The SF-26 has produced two wins to date, one each for Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, but upgrades from rivals has seen it fall down the competitive order.
This has led to both drivers pushing hard on circuit, including the now infamous flashpoint of Monza, where Leclerc ran Hamilton off the road at the first chicane, creating a headache for Vasseur.
Briatore, no stranger to delicate driver situations himself over the years, has delivered his verdict on the situation and the challenges of managing two drivers vying for number one status in Ferrari.
“Ferrari is competitive, but there’s always something missing,” the de facto Alpine team boss told Corriere della Sera.
“The thing is, winning a world championship is complicated, not least because there are the others…”
“As far as I know, they’re a bickering pair.
“Managing two big drivers isn’t easy.
“You just need to make it clear to everyone that the car belongs to the team. It takes responsibility and care.
“I’d never want to see one of my drivers push the other off the track.”
What would Flavio Briatore do?
Briatore called for patience to resolve the finely balanced situation, arguing that Vasseur’s work to overhaul Ferrari’s operations must be allowed to continue.
“Solutions come when you know the patient. You have to understand the problem before you can try to fix it.
“In the meantime, Vasseur’s work must be respected; mistakes happen in every team.
“But a winning Ferrari is an asset for the whole of F1; we’re all rooting for that Prancing Horse to some extent.”
Biatore was also quick to shut down any thoughts of himself taking the top job at F1’s most famous team.
“It’s too late,” he said. “Even though Ferrari is the lover everyone would like to have.
“But I’ve never been close to Maranello; I’ve always been on the other side of the fence.”
Briatore speaks from substantial experience in both managing drivers and teams in various states of competitiveness and decline. Vasseur faces a challenge at Ferrari that few can relate to, with Briatore’s latest insight only reaffirming this.
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Originally published by motorsportweek.com —
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