“Dave Brailsford has a huge influence in this team” - INEOS DS endorses returning leader and praises Geraint Thomas’ impact behind the scenes

As Dave Brailsford continues his quiet but unmistakable re-engagement with INEOS Grenadiers, those working inside the structure are beginning to articulate just how significant his return has been.

“He has a huge influence in this team and is a leader of the project. He’s the person who pushes us to give the best of ourselves and who really drives things forward,” said INEOS directeur sportif Imanol Erviti in conversation with Marca.

It is an endorsement that reinforces what has increasingly become clear over the past six months.

Brailsford’s presence is not symbolic, nor nostalgic. It is structural.

Brailsford’s renewed involvement at the back end of 2025 came at a moment when INEOS were reassessing not only results, but identity. The Tour de France ambitions remain intact, but the route back has been framed around leadership, standards and internal clarity rather than headline statements.

Erviti is not the only one inside INEOS to have noticed the effect of Brailsford’s return. Previously, development rider Davide Frigo spoke of the Brit’s presence in similarly vivid terms, describing how “when he enters a room, you feel it”, a reflection of the authority and direction now filtering through the organisation.

From Erviti’s position in the team car, that same effect is visible in more practical terms, shaping standards, expectations and the daily working environment without the need for constant intervention.

Importantly, Erviti stressed that this has not meant tearing up the team’s foundations. “I believe the DNA is not lost,” he explained. “At the same time, aspects can be modernised, and things can change. It’s a constant process. We have to update ourselves and take a step forward in certain areas.”

That balance between continuity and evolution has become a defining feature of INEOS’s reset.

Alongside Brailsford’s return, INEOS have also undergone a quieter but equally important transition within the team car. Geraint Thomas, who retired from racing at the end of 2025, has stepped into a new role as director of racing.

Erviti’s assessment of Thomas has been unambiguous. “I’m very happy with the work he’s doing,” he said. “Despite how great he was as a rider, he’s a very normal person who makes things easy. He’s always attentive to the culture of the team and to tactical aspects.”

For a squad that lost senior road figures in recent seasons, Thomas’s transition has added an important layer of lived experience back into decision-making. His understanding of race dynamics, pressure moments and leadership from within the bunch now feeds directly into strategy.

Erviti was clear that this influence will not be immediate in headline results. “He’s doing a good job that, little by little, will bear fruit,” he said.

INEOS have reshaped their roster for 2026, bringing in younger riders with long-term potential while also accepting the departures of experienced figures such as Jonathan Castroviejo and Omar Fraile. Erviti described those exits as calm and player-led, underlining a sense of stability rather than upheaval.

Within that context, the leadership structure now in place appears deliberate. Brailsford sets direction and standards. Thomas bridges the gap between rider experience and tactical execution. Directors like Erviti translate that vision day to day.

Asked about objectives for the season, Erviti avoided specific targets. Instead, he framed success in terms of trajectory. “The desire is to grow, to progress and to feel that the project is moving in an upward direction,” he said. “That’s what motivates me the most.”

It is a telling answer. Not a promise of immediate dominance, but a clear articulation of purpose.

As INEOS continue their attempt to rebuild towards the very top of the sport, voices from inside the team suggest that leadership, rather than signings alone, has become the cornerstone of that process.