Flavio Briatore, who rejoined Alpine (formerly known as Team Enstone) as a special advisor earlier this year, has reportedly caused tension within the team, particularly with Pierre Gasly. Known for his no-nonsense leadership, Briatore has apparently clashed with the French driver over Gasly’s habit of arriving late to circuits. This reportedly led to a public reprimand during the Mexico City GP, where Briatore addressed the issue in front of the entire team, according to Motorsport Next Gen.

As a consequence, Gasly was allegedly ‘punished’ by being sent to Qatar to test a two-year-old Alpine car, immediately after the Sao Paulo GP. While other drivers enjoyed a three-week vacation break before the Las Vegas GP, Gasly’s plans were abruptly canceled, forcing him to fulfill the testing duties instead.

An Instagram page, @f1gossipofficial, shared details from a fan post on X (formerly Twitter), which read, “Briatore reportedly reprimanded Pierre during the Mexican GP in front of the entire team! Briatore is increasingly annoyed by Pierre’s tendency to arrive very late on the circuits and may have ‘punished’ Pierre by ordering him to attend a test in Qatar.”

Despite the tension between Briatore and Gasly in Mexico, the situation seemed to calm down in Brazil. Alpine’s fortunes took a positive turn in Sao Paulo, where both drivers secured podium finishes—Esteban Ocon in second place and Gasly in third. The team’s double podium finish earned them 33 points, propelling them from 9th to 6th place in the Constructors’ Championship, providing a much-needed boost after a season filled with challenges.

Off the track, however, Alpine continues to struggle with internal issues. The decision to shut down its powertrains department, in preparation for becoming a Mercedes customer starting in 2026, has angered a large portion of the workforce. Around 100 Alpine employees protested during the Italian GP, and more than 300 jobs have already been lost due to this shift. The move to customer engines marks a dramatic departure from Alpine’s history of developing its own power units.

Additionally, Alpine will lose Ocon to Haas in 2025, though Gasly is set to remain with the team after signing a multi-year contract extension earlier this season.