A major player in Formula 1 in the 90s and 2000s, Flavio Briatore is back with the team with which he won the world titles in 2005 and 2006.
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Flavio Briatore makes his return to the microcosm of Formula 1. An open secret for several weeks, his signing with Alpine, formerly Renault, was confirmed by the French team on Friday June 21. The 74-year-old Italian will occupy an advisory position there, fifteen years after having had to leave the head of Renault F1 following a scandal that occurred during the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.
THE “crashgate” had seen Flavio Briatore foment the voluntary accident of his driver Nelson Piquet Jr to favor his other colt, Fernando Alonso, towards victory in Singapore. The International Automobile Federation (FIA) then banned him for life from all activity linked to this sport, before this decision was abandoned at the end of a legal battle in early 2010 and a commitment not to hold a position until December 31, 2012.
“BWT Alpine F1 Team can confirm that Flavio Briatore has been appointed by Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo as executive advisor for the Formula 1 divisionwe can read in a press release from the brand. Briatore will mainly focus on the high-level areas of the team, in particular searching for the best talents and providing information on the driver market, questioning the existing project by evaluating the current structure and giving advice on certain strategic topics regarding this sport.“
Flavio Briatore had built a solid reputation as a champion maker in the decades 90-2000, first as boss of the Benetton team which brought the German Michael Schumacher to his first two world championship titles in 1994 and 1995, then with Renault, crowned in 2005 and 2006 with the Spaniard Fernando Alonso. Flavio Briatore has also served as manager of several well-known drivers.
Alpine is in great difficulty this season, with a poorly constructed and technically lagging car, and tensions which have notably led the team not to extend Esteban Ocon as driver for 2025.
