Briatore Explains Why Wolff's Alpine Stake Bid Collapsed

Flavio Briatore has revealed that Toto Wolff and Mercedes walked away from a bid for a 24% Alpine stake after Otro Capital set an asking price the veteran Italian deemed excessive, while confirming Christian Horner remains among potential alternative buyers.

Why it matters:

The collapsed talks expose the tension between speculative investment valuations and actual team operations. Otro Capital is demanding roughly $720 million for shares bought for about £171 million in mid-2023, valuing Alpine near $3 billion. Briatore's insistence that this is strictly a Renault Group issue signals an effort to shield the Enstone squad from ownership turbulence even as investors jockey for position.

The details:

• Mercedes and Wolff withdrew from talks to buy Otro Capital's 24% holding after the hedge fund reportedly asked for $720 million, a price Briatore described as simply "too high."
• Briatore stressed that Otro "is nothing to do with the team" and that Alpine feels no direct pressure from Renault over the sale process.
• The Italian noted Wolff conducted himself fairly, but suggested Otro lacked reasonableness given the massive markup on their original investment.
• Horner remains in the picture, with Briatore acknowledging "different people, including Christian," are exploring the share purchase.
• Despite Horner's recent Red Bull exit, Briatore expressed willingness to work with him, citing a 20-year friendship and insisting he has "zero problems" with the Briton.
• Briatore emphasized any deal requires Renault's blessing, questioning the logic of paying such sums for a minority stake without majority owner approval.

What's next:

With Mercedes out, the focus shifts to whether Horner or another investor will meet Otro's valuation. Briatore will accept whatever Renault decides, but the standoff suggests the ownership question will linger until either Otro lowers its price or Renault steps in directly.