Briatore is back as an F1 boss: what will he do next?
F1
With a shady, but successful past, Flavio Briatore is once more an F1 team principal. But has he been appointed to revive Alpine's fortunes or flog the team?
Briatore is back in control at Enstone for the third time
Fifteen years after a lifetime ban from F1, Flavio Briatore is once again a team principal, replacing Oliver Oakes, who resigned last night from Alpine.
The larger-than-life 75 year-old already looked to be taking command of the team in his role as executive advisor before he was formally handed Oakes’ responsibilities in the wake of the Miami Grand Prix.
It places him in a remarkable third stint as a team principal at the Enstone-based team, the latest stage of an F1 career that now spans more than 35 years, during which he ran three-time world champion Nelson Piquet, and then his son, almost two decades later. He poached Michael Schumacher, fast-tracked Fernando Alonso to F1, and appears to have been the principal mover behind the promotion of Franco Colapinto, at the expense of Jack Doohan.
The driver swap closely followed news of Oakes’ departure: the latest of more than a dozen senior figures to leave Alpine in the past four years.
“Oliver Oakes has resigned from his role as team principal,” said Alpine in a statement. “The team has accepted his resignation with immediate effect.
“As of today, Flavio Briatore will continue as executive advisor and will also be covering the duties previously performed by Oliver Oakes.
“The team will not be making any further comment.”
The following day though, Alpine actually did add to its comments, releasing a statement from Briatore which refuted claims that Oakes had left as a result of a disagreement or because of different views. “This is completely false and far from the truth,” he said. “Me and Oli have a very good relationship… We respect Oli’s decision to resign and have therefore accepted his resignation. The reasons are not related to the team and are of a personal nature.”
The statement also included a message from Oakes, saying: “It is a personal decision for me to step down. Flavio has been like a father to me, nothing but supportive since I took the role.”
Briatore was like a father, said Oakes
Mark Sutton/F1 via Getty Images
Whatever the reasons behind the change, the Renault-owned team – which has minority shareholders including actors Ryan Reynolds and Michael B Jordan – has handed control to a man who not only won led the team to four drivers’ world championships in its previous Benetton and Renault guises but who has, to put it mildly, a chequered past.
In addition to the lifetime F1 ban (overturned in 2010) for orchestrating Nelson Piquet Jr’s deliberate crash, which helped team-mate Alonso to victory at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, Briatore is a convicted fraudster who escaped jail by living on the run in the Virgin Islands. He was also in charge of Renault when it was found guilty of having confidential McLaren designs in 2006, but the team avoided any penalty.
Drive to Survive viewers may know him as the villainous character, presented as a Godfather-like figure as he arrived at Alpine as an advisor last year, ripped into the performance of the car and ejected Esteban Ocon.
Schumacher and Briatore celebrate at Fuji, 2005 after clinching the constructors’ championship for Benetton
Grand Prix Photo
But as fascinating as his past might be, just as compelling is what he might do next.
Since his arrival, there have been rumours that he has been brought in to sell the team. Few are better suited to that task than virtuoso deal-maker Briatore who’s proven time and time again his wheeling and dealing mastery, whether it’s signing top drivers or engineers; securing sponsors; flogging engines back to his old team; or even buying and selling entire F1 teams.
Flavio Briatore returned last year to the F1 paddock as a special advisor to Alpine, and has now become a star of the Netflix show Drive to Survive – here's the world champion team boss's rollercoaster story so far
By
James Elson
The recent investment in Alpine from a consortium including Reynolds and Jordan values the team at around $900m (£674m), which would equate to a £500m windfall for Renault if it sold its remaining stake – an appealing outcome if it doesn’t see F1 as particularly relevant to Alpine’s new all-electric range.
The benefits to Renault and Alpine of being on the grid have already been reduced by the decision to pull the plug on Renault’s F1 engine, leaving the team relying on rival manufacturer Mercedes for its power units from 2026.
However, the Mercedes deal does boost the chances of the team being successful next year. Combined with cost-cutting measures, including staff reductions, the team looks to be a more attractive takeover prospect than a year ago, despite the ongoing instability.
Will the man who has brought Renault so much success been brought on to kill its team, or can he conjure up the magic that won championships in the 1990s and 2000s?
