Flavio Briatore: Alpine helped Valtteri Bottas sign contract with Cadillac

Alpine Formula 1 executive adviser Flavio Briatore claimed that the French team helped Valtteri Bottas to secure a seat with Cadillac in 2026.

The American team announced this week that Bottas and former Red Bull driver Sergio Perez would form its debut driver line-up when it enters the championship in 2026.

After Bottas lost his seat at Sauber at the end of 2024, he signed with Mercedes as the reserve and third driver. Since returning to his former team, the Finnish driver has engaged in talks to gain a full-time seat once again.

Rumours circulated linking Bottas to a seat at Alpine, but Briatore has now claimed that discussions were not very serious, but that they could have helped the driver secure the deal with Cadillac.

“No, really. I talked with a lot of people. I talked with Bottas as well,” Briatore explained. “We talked with Toto as well at the time, but really, there was never a discussion for Bottas to drive for Alpine. I think Alpine helped Bottas a little bit to sign the contract with Cadillac. We did some marketing. But this is the reason, honestly.

“I like Valtteri because he’s a super driver. And what Toto says is exactly the same. He was unlucky to be in Mercedes at the same time as Lewis, when Lewis was really at the peak of his driving. We have a different idea, but it’s nice to have Valtteri back. It’s nice to have a driver back with a lot of experience, but I’m looking for something else.”

Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff has repeatedly backed Bottas for his future with the American outfit.

Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes

Photo by: James Sutton / Motorsport Images

“Valtteri is a very, very interesting one because he had the fortune and misfortune to go against Lewis Hamilton as a team-mate when Lewis was at the peak of his game,” Wolff said during a press conference in Zandvoort. “James [Vowles] and I, we’ve been in this for a very long time. Valtteri has tremendous speed and is, in our opinion, one of the best drivers on the grid.

“Valtteri left the Mercedes team because we promoted George Russell – similar to Kimi today – a young gun that was with Williams for a time because he was in the junior programme and looked very promising. That was Valtteri.

“And since then, he’s dominated every team-mate he’s had in whatever car. I’m really happy. Obviously, we love Valtteri as a third driver and as a reserve. I said it before – if one of our works drivers were to have fish poisoning, we know we [can] put someone in the car that can be as fast and competitive. There is no compromise by putting Valtteri in the car on a given Saturday or Sunday.

“That obviously goes missing now because he’s going to Cadillac. But at the same time, we’re racers, and we love for him to have the opportunity of going back onto the grid in an exciting new project, and I’m sure he will shine.”