Last Updated on December 27 2024, 1:28 pm

Flavio Briatore is a marmite character in Formula One circles. He started life’s a restaurant manager and an insurance salesman in Italy but was convicted on several fraud charges in the 1980’s receiving two prison sentences. The convictions were eventually quashed by an amnesty which saw the flamboyant Italian spend years as a fugitive in the Virgin islands and the USA.

There he was tasked with setting up Benetton franchises which paved the way for his role in the eventual F1 team of the same name. Briatore experience ed his first F1 weekend at the Australian Grand Prix in 1988 having previously declared his complete lack of interest in the sport.

Luciano Benetton appointed him commercial director of the family owned Benetton team (formerly Toleman) and when the entire team management was fired shortly after Briatore’s arrival, he was promoted to the role of CEO and tasked with making the team competitive, on which he delivered.

 

 

 

Briatore task unfancied Benetton to titles

Flavio lured the young Michael Schumacher from the Jordan team after just one race in F1 and set about building the racing organisation around the needs of his rising star driver. Schumacher’s talent was obvious for all to see and it was no surprise when he claimed F1 driver titles in 1994 and 1995 with the team winning their first constructors title during Schumacher’s second successful campaign.

Yet the self made Italian proved never to be far from controversy as the Benetton team were accused of multiple form of cheating during the 1994 season. F1 had banned driver electronic aids for that year, but it later became apparent that the Benetton cars had retained illegal software.

Jos Verstappen who was driving alongside Schumacher later claimed that Briatore knew about the software and encouraged him to “not talk about it,” reported Autoweek in December 2011. Jos was involved in a fiery pit stop refuelling which spawned iconic photographs of the Benetton car and mechanics engulfed in an explosive fire ball.

It was later revealed Briatore had ordered the removal of a regulation fuel filter in an attempt to speed up the pit stops. He escaped punishment by demonstrating a number of other F1 teams had acted similarly though this was just another example of how cheating appeared to dog Briatore at his each and every turn. Benetton replaced Flavio in 1997 having lost Schumacher and other key personnel to Ferrari, but this was not the end of the Italian’s F1 adventures.

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Flavio the talent scout

When Renault decided to buy Benetton and enter F1 as a works team in 2000, Briatore was appointed team principal to the Benetton- Renault F1 entry in 2001. The team became Renault F1 the following year.

Briatore gained a reputation as talent scout with his biggest find being Fernando Alonso who he met in 1999 when the Spaniard was racing junior formula. As his manager, he placed Alonso with m Minardi for 2001 before appointing him Renault test driver the following year.

Come 2003 Briatore sacked Jenson Button and replaced him with Alonso and in response to the following outcry in the British media, Flavio responded saying, “time will tell if I am wrong”. With Alonso behind the wheel, Renault went on to win the 2005/6 constructors’ and drivers’ F1 titles before Alonso left to join McLaren alongside rookie Lewis Hamilton.

Yet Flavio’s biggest infamous F1 moment was yet to come and it has now resulted in an $80m lawsuit from Felipe Massa who believes he was robbed of the 2008 drivers’ championship. During the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, Renault’s second driver Nelson Piquet Jnr crashed inexplicably into the wall along the pit straight which saw ten mate Fernando Alonso cycle to the front of the race during the following safety car chaos.

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Briatore and ‘crashgate’

At the time Piquet Jnr described the crash as “a simple mistake” but following his sacking at the end of the year a different story emerged. Nelson alleged that he had been asked to deliberately crash that night in Singapore to help out his team mate, who in fact went on to win the race.

Despite threatening Piquet jar with legs action, just five days later Renault announced they would not contest the FIA charges and that Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds had been summarily dismissed.

Following years in the wilderness, Flavio Briatore was once again appointed by Renault adeptly in the 2024 campaign as a “special advisor” to improve the French owned F1 team’s fortunes. It quickly became evident Renault were looking to improve their value for money and it was announced the historic F1 power until producer in Viry would close come the end of 2025 and Alpine would become a Mercedes customer.

A new team boss was announced after the summer break and Britaotore set about deciding his driver lineup for next year. Esteban  Ocon had already declared he would be leaving the team following a very public spat with then team principal Bruno Famin in Monaco.

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Alpine choose Doohan 

Following a pursuit of Carlos Sainz signature for next year, Alpine finally decided to promote their junior driver Jack Doohan for next year. Yet the decision appeared far from conclusive. Doohan was given the car for what should have been Ocon’s final weekend in Abu Dhabi, yet unlike Franco Colapinto he looked well of the pace finishing a lap down while his team mate Pierre gaily claimed P7 and secured sixth in the constructors’ for the team.

Following crashes in Brazil and Las Vegas, interest from Red Bull and Alpine appeared to fade in Colapinto, although the paddock rumours that Doohan had a contract for just the first five race weekends of next season stubbornly refused to go away.

The Italian was asked this week by Le Parisian whether he expects acted Doohan to survive the full 2025 season at Alpine. Is reposes was blunt: “The only certain thing is death,” he quipped. “We start the year with Pierre and Jack, I guarantee it. After that, we’ll see during the season.”

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Alpine mid-season driver switch ‘on the cards’

“I have to help the team reach a situation where it can achieve results. The driver is the one who has to finish the work of the almost one thousand people behind him. Everyone works for just two people. And if there is a driver who is not making progress, who is not bringing results, he will be changed,” Briatore concluded.

As far as replacement emends for Doohan, Franco Colapinto appeared to be top of the hit list when Flavio spoke with AMuS. “I’m interested in any driver who is fast. Colapinto surprised everyone,” revealed the Italian.

“But we have contracts with Gasly, Doohan and Aron for next season,” he added. “If there was an opportunity to get Colapinto for 2026, you have to think about it.”

Franco Colapinto comes with a hefty Williams buy out cost estimated somewhere in the region to be $20m, although it has been speculated wealthy South American backers would pay this and then control the future of the Argentinian rising F1 star.

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Red Bull conditions in Lawson contract

Despite remaining two constructors’ championships behind arch rivals Mercedes, Red Bull Racing appeared to throw away their chance of another Formula One team title this season as they dallied over what to do with Sergio Perez. The Mexican was widely expected in the paddock to be dismissed during the summer break given the reported clause in his contract which required him to remain within 100 points of his team mate.

Red Bull at the time led rivals McLaren by 42 points and Verstappen’s lead in the drivers’ title race stood at 78 points. With a significantly altered autumn schedule the teams returned from their August sojourn with just four Grand Prix weekends ahead of them before a newly instigated four week autumn break to allow the racing personnel some respite before the season ending double triple headers in the run to the final in Abu Dhabi.

Perez was retained according to Christian Horner because,  “We know that there’s tracks that he’s won at coming up. We’ve got Azerbaijan where he’s won both a Sprint and grand prix on the same weekend. He’s won a fantastic race in Singapore against Charles Leclerc in mixed conditions,” the Red Bull boss told Sky following FP2 in Zandvoort… READ MORE