BWT Alpine F1 Team has announced that Flavio Briatore is set to make a return to Formula 1 as an Executive Advisor for Renault Group CEO Luca de Leo.
At age 74, the former Renault CEO has been confirmed to be returning. He will be returning as the Executive Advisor to the current CEO in the Formula One division. The appointment comes in the wake of a turbulent few seasons for their Alpine F1 project. The team has struggled to gain momentum, further hampered by tensions within the team and its drivers.
Briatore was at the helm of Renault – branded Benetton at the time – for 19 years, starting his career with the Enstone team in 1990. However, he left in disgrace in 2009 after being implicated in the Nelson Piquet Jr ‘Crashgate’ scandal.
He was banned from attending FIA events following the scandal, but later appealed to French courts and had the ruling overturned. While he has never been involved with an F1 team since. He remains Fernando Alonso’s manager and is regularly seen in the paddock.
Now, set to return to Formula 1 once again, Alpine says Briatore will challenge the struggling project:
Briatore will predominantly focus on top level areas of the team including: scouting top talents and providing insights on the driver market, challenging the existing project by assessing the current structure and advising on some strategic matters within the sport.
Photo credit: BWT Alpine F1 Team
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