‘I had to do it’: Flavio Briatore defends dumping Jack Doohan

In a wide-ranging interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, the recently appointed Alpine executive advisor spoke candidly about his leadership style, using Doohan’s sacking as a textbook example.

“Mistakes are inevitable,” Briatore said.

“If you’re doing things, you’re going to make them. The key is to quickly adjust your course as soon as you realise it, without letting your pride keep you stuck on the wrong track.”

That self-correction, in his eyes, meant ending Doohan’s F1 ambitions at Alpine and replacing him with Argentinian rookie Franco Colapinto.

“Exactly. That’s a good example,” he confirmed when asked if that was his reasoning.

“Even in the past, I decided to put a very young Fernando Alonso in the driver’s seat, back then he was just a test driver, instead of the more experienced Jenson Button.

“That decision unleashed the fury of the British press. But in the end, I was right.

“A manager is always alone when making big decisions,” he said. “Then, over time, others come around.”

Doohan was controversially demoted from race to reserve driver after the Miami Grand Prix last month and subsequently replaced by Colapinto.

The Argentinian was initially announced as having a five-race deal with Alpine, but Briatore dismissed that at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, saying “there’s no set limit on his races.”

In his three races Grands Prix for Alpine, Colapinto has struggled, finishing 16th, 13th and 15th, alongside a heavy crash in practice at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Briatore publicly backed his decision to promote Colapinto ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix, calling it the Argentinian’s “first real race.”

But post-race, speaking to Sky Germany, his tone shifted.

“He crashed right away on the first race weekend,” Briatore said. “If I was to say I was happy, that would be a lie. I’m not happy at all.”

Despite the rocky start to Colapinto’s tenure, Briatore remains firm in his conviction that bold decisions, however controversial, are necessary if Alpine is to forge a winning path forward.