‘F**k off’ – Flavio Briatore’s responds to critics after controversial Alpine F1 return
Alpine announced the return of controversial former team boss Flavio Briatore as an executive adviser at the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix
Flavio Briatore has told his critics to “f**k off” after it was announced that the controversial former team principal has returned to the Alpine F1 squad.
Alpine announced on Friday at the Spanish Grand Prix that Briatore has returned to Enstone as an executive advisor.
Flavio Briatore returns to F1 with Alpine
Despite overseeing the greatest period of success in the team’s history – including double World Championships with Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso in the 1994/95 and 2005/06 respectively – Briatore is a highly divisive figure in F1 due to his involvement in the infamous ‘Crashgate’ scandal.
The Italian was hit with a lifetime ban – later overturned by the FIA on appeal in 2013 – for ordering Nelson Piquet Jr to crash deliberately in the Singapore Grand Prix of 2008, triggering a Safety Car period that helped team-mate Alonso to victory.
Asked if he had a message for those unhappy to see him back in F1 in an official capacity, Briatore told Sky F1: “F**k off.”
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With Alpine currently eighth in the Constructors’ standings, having scored just five points across the opening nine races of F1 2024, Briatore is keen to put the team back on track.
Asked if he had been targeting a return to F1 for some time, he said: “Not really.
“I know the chairman of Renault, Luca de Meo, very well and have lots of respect [for him].
“He met some difficulties in the performance of the team. He asked if it was possible for me to be the executive advisor of the chairman. We negotiated for two or three months, maybe more.
“I feel I have the motivation to do it. I feel it is possible to do it. I feel that it’s possible to put the team again on the right direction to performing and this is what I like, to go back in the competition.”
Briatore insisted that his return will not undermine current Alpine team principal Bruno Famin, who succeeded previous boss Otmar Szafnauer last summer.
And the 74-year-old is keen to put Alpine on the right path ahead of the major F1 2026 regulation changes, which are widely expected to shake up the pecking order.
Asked if he will effectively be Alpine’s team principal in his new role, he responded: “No, no. Team principal? We have a team principal, we have Bruno. No problem at all.
“I’m working with Bruno, I’m working with everybody. For me, I’m working with Luca. This is my job, I report to him and we try together to get the best performance for the team.
“I’m not changing the tyres yet. I don’t want to change the tyres, I don’t want to drive the car.
“I just want to be competitive. In two years’ time, we will be there.
“I want to give my contribution. We have a team principal who is doing a very good job, we have an organisation working together and I’m sure we’ll put everything together in a very short time.”
Reports this week claimed Renault is considering dropping its engine project for F1 2026, having struggled to master the demands of the V6-hybrid era since 2014.
Shortly before his departure last year, Szafnauer claimed Renault are “significantly down” on power compared to fellow engine builders Ferrari, Honda and Mercedes, who have been linked to supplying Alpine with engines from 2026.
Asked if becoming a customer team is a consideration for Alpine, Briatore said: “No, it’s not a point in this moment.
“Sure, to make the team competitive we see different opportunities and, after, we choose the best opportunity for the team.
“Formula 1 has a lot of gossip all the time. For the moment, we haven’t made any decision. We’re working and we’ll find the best solution for the team.”
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