Flavio Briatore considered for supervisory role at Alpine

The Italian media Corriere della Serra and the French newspaper L’Equipe have reported that the CEO of Renault, Luca De Meo, has asked Flavio Briatore to help the team turn its situation around. His role would be to assist in recruiting to strengthen the Enstone headquarters and the engine factory in Viry-Chatillon.

Alpine refused to confirm or deny Briatore’s arrival, stating: « As a team, we are in frequent contact with several industry experts to improve our overall performance. We consider all relevant contributions and, where appropriate, seek advice from people with experience and previous success. We cannot comment on individual matters. »

If Briatore’s arrival is confirmed, it could cause some concern. The former team principal of Benetton and Renault, who was at the helm during Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso’s double championships, had been banned from the paddocks for his role in the Singapour Crashgate scandal in 2008. This lifetime ban was overturned in 2013, and the Italian has since become a regular visitor. He attended the Monaco Grand Prix last week and was seen with F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali before Sunday’s race.

Alpine has experienced a difficult year.

Alpine has experienced a period of turbulence over the past ten months, starting with the removal of the brand’s CEO, Laurent Rossi, by Luca De Meo, quickly followed by the departure of the team principal, Otmar Szafnauer, and long-time racing director, Alan Permane, before the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix. The team then took a wrong design direction for the development of its 2024 car, causing it to start the season late after finishing sixth the previous year. As a result, technical director Matt Harman and aerodynamics chief Dirk de Beer left the team in March.

In their absence, the interim team leader, Bruno Famin, created a three-part technical structure, similar to McLaren’s, by recruiting David Sanchez from the Woking team as the general technical manager. Alpine has made progress in recent weeks, moving from the back of the grid to a midfield position where it can compete with teams like Haas and Williams. In Monaco, Pierre Gasly scored the team’s second point of the season, despite a collision with his teammate Esteban Ocon.

However, there have been many discussions that the CEO of the Renault group, De Meo, remains frustrated by the team’s lack of results and wants to make additional changes. Bringing back a controversial figure like Briatore would certainly be one way to do so. These rumors have emerged after reports indicating that several potential buyers are interested in acquiring the Enstone team, including the Chinese manufacturer Geely.

Alpine has always maintained that the team is not for sale. Rumors and stories about the sale of the team are false. The team is categorically not for sale, she said last month.