Flavio Briatore, now Alpine’s executive adviser and de facto team principal, remains convinced Fernando Alonso could be fighting for a third title in a frontrunning car. He says that in a McLaren or Red Bull this season, the 44-year-old Spaniard would still be in the championship mix.
Form beneath the headlines
Alonso’s Aston Martin campaign has been a grind, but since scoring his first points of the year at home in Spain he has finished in the points in seven of the last ten grands prix — eight, but for misfortune at Monza. Briatore rejects the notion Alonso is difficult to manage, calling it "rubbish" and describing the two-time champion as the teammate who keeps a squad together.
The 'Rottweiler' mentality
"He’s there all the time," Briatore said, likening Alonso’s relentlessness to a Rottweiler’s bite. The message is familiar: give him a competitive car, and he will do the rest.
Since his 2005–06 title years with Briatore’s Renault, Alonso’s near-misses in 2007, 2010 and 2012 show how thin the margins have been. A decade on from his last win, the hunger clearly remains.
