Briatore describes Gucci deal as "perfect" for Alpine's future and "good for Formula 1"

Flavio Briatore has described Alpine's newly-announced partnership with Gucci as a transformative moment for the Enstone-based squad, declaring the deal "perfect" for the team's growth ambitions and broadly beneficial for Formula 1 as a whole.

A landmark deal for Alpine

For Briatore, the partnership represents one of the most significant commercial achievements of his long career in the sport. "Gucci is one of the big deals I've done in all my time in Formula 1," the team's Executive Advisor said during the Monaco Grand Prix weekend. "[In the past] we've done [deals with] Telefonica, with ING. This one was really difficult to do, because there were so many parties involved."

Not Benetton 2.0 — but a clear evolution

The comparison to Briatore's time at Benetton in the 1990s was inevitably raised, but the Italian was quick to draw a distinction. "At the time, Benetton was not a luxury brand — it was a brand," he said. "We created a winning team with the brand Benetton." Gucci, by contrast, occupies a different tier entirely — a global luxury house whose entry into the team's identity signals a step-change in Alpine's positioning.

That broader ambition aligns with the momentum Briatore has been building at the squad. Pierre Gasly recently credited Briatore for 'setting the tone' and driving Alpine's strong start to the 2026 season, with the team already surpassing their full-season points tally from the previous year after just five rounds.

Gratitude to BWT and a vision for growth

The Gucci deal means BWT will step down as Alpine's title partner, ending what Briatore described as an "incredible relationship" with the water technology company and its CEO Andreas Weissenbacher.

"I want to as well say thank you to BWT," Briatore said. "But the position of the team I want to [have], I believe, for growing very quickly, for the image, for as well financially, the deal with Gucci was perfect. It was a really super deal."

Briatore also framed the partnership within Formula 1's broader commercial landscape, drawing a contrast between Gucci's active role and Louis Vuitton's existing presence as a sponsor of FOM. "We have two big luxury brands in Formula 1. We have Louis Vuitton on one side, and Louis Vuitton is a sponsor of FOM — this is like a spectator. But in the arena, Gucci is in the arena. Gucci is in the car, they're the title sponsor."

For a team navigating a period of significant off-track change, the Gucci partnership provides a powerful statement of intent — commercially, visually, and strategically.