Flavio Briatore, former Renault Formula 1 team boss, announced his return to the sport. He exited from the F1 after a Singapore crash controversy in 2008.
Alpine F1 team announced the return of the ex-boss of ex-Renault team, Flavio Briatore. He will return to the team in an advisory role after 14 years of Crashgate.
Alpine confirmed the news after weeks of speculations about Briatore joining the sport. The French manufacturer announced the news on Friday, which it believes will yield in a great F1 future for the team.
The announcement reads: “BWT Alpine F1 Team can confirm that Flavio Briatore has been appointed by Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo as his Executive Advisor for the Formula 1 Division.
“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.”
The Italian has a proven track of success in Formula 1. He helped the Benetton & Renault team to mark one of the most successful years of their history. Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso won their world titles in 1994,1995 and 2005, 2006 respectively.
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However, his career ended with one of the biggest controversies of the F1. He resigned from F1 and FIA banned him for a lifetime following his involvement in the 2008 “Crashgate” scandal.
Nelson Piquet Jr. implicated Briatore in a controversy claiming he crashed deliberately in Marina Bay to trigger a safety car. He claimed to have helped his teammate Fernando Alonso win the race.
Piquet Jr. made the revelations only after his dismissal from the team. FIA imposed a lifetime ban on the Italian, which the French Tribunal de Grande Instance overturned in 2010.
The courts ruled against the FIA citing irregularities in the sanctions handed to Briatore & Pat Symonds, Director of Engineering. He had resigned and received a five-year ban.
He remained associated with the F1 through Alonso’s management team, despite a controversial exit from the team.