Flavio Briatore has confirmed that Alpine has moved on from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix collision between Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly. The Italian team principal admitted he was upset but insisted the team must forget the past and focus on the remaining eight races.
The incident in Baku involved three drivers: Colapinto, Gasly, and McLaren's Lando Norris. All three retired, costing Alpine valuable points. As a result, Racing Bulls' Arvid Lindblad finished seventh, extending their lead over Alpine to 15 points in the fight for fifth in the constructors' championship.
In a post-race press release, Briatore said he would "take time to reflect on it and consider what course of action should be taken." However, after meetings with team leadership at the Enstone factory, Alpine chose not to prolong the issue. The main priority is now to catch Racing Bulls in the remaining races.
"Whatever we do is internal to the team," Briatore said in Malaysia on Friday. "Sure, I was very disappointed with what happened in Baku, but this is another race. We need to forget. We need to always look to the future, and the past is the past."
He added, "I was upset, yes, like I believe everybody in the team, including Franco, for the mistake he made. But this is the past. What can we do? Whatever we've done, it is impossible to turn it back."
As a consequence, Franco Colapinto carries a five-place grid penalty for this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. With his chances of scoring points reduced, Alpine decided to install a fresh combustion engine in Colapinto's car, adding 10 more grid places to his penalty. This decision is part of the team's long-term strategy, considering the engine demands of the Sepang circuit.
Despite being 15 points behind, Briatore remains confident. "We're fighting for fifth position with Racing Bulls, we gave away a lot of points," he said. "But we still have eight races. We have plenty of time."
With eight races remaining, Alpine must maximize every opportunity to score points. Focusing on on-track performance rather than the consequences of the incident will be key to staying competitive in the constructors' battle.
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