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A two-man shortlist for Flavio Briatore as Alpine weigh up their options for F1 2026
Alpine F1 advisor Flavio Briatore has confirmed that the team will choose its second driver for the 2026 season from within its own pool, excluding Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson as options. There are still three available seats on the 2026 F1 grid, with two at Mercedes, where George Russell is set to continue alongside Kimi Antonelli as per Toto Wolff. Mercedes has yet to finalize both its drivers for next year. Additionally, Alpine needs to determine Pierre Gasly’s teammate for the upcoming season. Briatore emphasized they won’t consider signing a driver from outside their roster, leaving Tsunoda or Lawson without a potential seat for 2026. Briatore expressed interest in either Franco Colapinto or Paul Aron for the position, highlighting the importance of selecting the best driver for the team. The 75-year-old Briatore expressed his skepticism about the current driver options available, reminiscing about outstanding talents like Schumacher, Hamilton, and Alonso and hoping for a standout performer like them.
