Flavio Briatore boldly claims Fernando Alonso deserved 'eight F1 championships'

Flavio Briatore has made a bold claim, stating that Fernando Alonso deserved eight F1 championships, an unprecedented feat in the sport. Briatore, now Alpine F1 team principal, was the figure behind Alonso's rise in F1 in the early 2000s with Renault, when their partnership yielded two consecutive drivers' titles in 2005 and 2006 and made the Spaniard the youngest championship winner until then.

However, none of his following career moves were successful, including a switch to McLaren in 2007, followed by driving for Ferrari from 2008 to 2014, and back to McLaren, where he unfortunately encountered Honda's "GP2 engine" from 2015 to 2018. He mistimed each team switch and could never add a third F1 title to his bag.

Fernando Alonso retired from F1 after the 2018 season before making a comeback with Alpine in 2021, and after switching to Aston Martin in 2023, is still in the hunt for a third title. Flavio Briatore, who is Alonso's manager besides his Alpine F1 leadership role, spoke about the two-time champion's racing caliber in the Bravissimo documentary on DAZN.

"A driver like him should have won six or eight World Championships, because he has always made the difference in his team," Briatore said ( via Marca). "In life, there are ten or fifteen things that you remember forever. Bravo, bravo, bravo. Bravo Fernando."

2026 will be a pivotal year in Fernando Alonso's F1 career. Aston Martin's place in the pecking order will decide the course of his next step, whether it is a contract extension or retirement after the season. The Spaniard shared earlier this year that he would leave F1 after 2026 if next year turns out well, so that he has fond memories of the sport upon retirement.

Flavio Briatore's bold claim about Fernando Alonso's 2025 F1 title chances with McLaren or Red Bull

Fernando Alonso at the 2025 F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Source: Getty

In September this year, Flavio Briatore was asked if he felt Fernando Alonso could be a winner again in F1 with Aston Martin. The Alpine boss opined that the two-time F1 champion just needed the right team and car around him, and that if he were in a Red Bull or a McLaren, the two championship-worthy cars in 2025, he would be right in contention for his third title.

Speaking with ESPN, Briatore said:

"Sure, I hope. I hope. Aston has the top genius. Let's see how the genius is doing. I'm very curious. But if Aston has a car competitive, we'll see. All the time [when] the car is competitive, Fernando is there. He's always there. If Fernando was sitting in the McLaren or sitting in the Red Bull [this season], I promise you, he'd still be in the race."

Aston Martin is expected to be among the front-running teams in the new technical era starting in 2026, with its project led by Adrian Newey and the cars powered by Honda's power units. However, considering the positive talk around Mercedes' power units, it seems unlikely that Aston Martin would be the team to beat next year.

Edited by Yash Kotak