Flavio Briatore linked with sensational F1 return with Alpine as he targets Adrian Newey
Could Flavio Briatore be set to make a return to F1 with Alpine?
Flavio Briatore is reportedly set to make a sensational return to F1 with Alpine.
According to Italian publication Corriere della Sera, Briatore has been targeted by Renault CEO Luca di Mao to help turn the team around.
The report suggests that Briatore will be drafted in to support the organisation as a “special supervisor”, with the role not requiring constant involvement in on-track affairs.
He is reportedly targeting Adrian Newey as part of a major recruitment on the technical side for the team.
Briatore hasn’t been officially involved with an F1 team since 2009, when he stepped down as Renault team principal following the Crashgate scandal.
The Italian is currently the manager of Fernando Alonso and has often been seen attending races over the years.
Briatore has a rich history in F1 - and the Enstone-based team, leading Benetton to title success with Michael Schumacher in the 1990s.
He then led Renault with Alonso to back-to-back title success with alonso in 2005 and 2006
His time in F1 ended following the fall-out around Crashgate when Nelson Piquet Jr. - Renault’s second driver at the time - crashed out deliberately at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix to bring out the Safety Car.
The Brazilian’s actions allowed Alonso to inherit the lead of the race before taking Renault’s first win of the year.
A year later, Briatore was kicked out of the sport for his involvement in the scandal, and was handed a lifetime ban.
This was overturned meaning he’s been free to work in F1 for the last decade.
Alpine have endured a miserable start to the 2024 F1 season.
They have scored just two points in the opening eight rounds, leaving them ninth in the constructors’ championship.
