Scenarios for the return of the lost Briatore in Alpine F1

Leading Spanish newspaper Marca quote sources within Alpine writing about Flavio Briatore’s potential return to the team – albeit not in the role of sporting director he held in the 1990s and 2000s, but as an adviser.

The Italian received the humiliating ban from Formula 1 for more than a decade when – along with the team’s technical director Pat Simons and then-driver Nelson Pique Jr – he was found guilty of “skipping” the 2008 Singapore GP. staged” to achieve Fernando Alonso’s victory.

Specifically, the team instructed Pique to intentionally hit the wall, run the safety car out onto the track and load Alonso into the pits in time to take the lead in the race. It later turned out that the Spanish driver was unaware of the team’s plans.

Briatore was the commander of the team that gave Alonso the Renault with which he became world champions in 2005 and 2006. The Italian was also the manager of the Oviedo driver in his first racing steps and early years in Formula 1, then he stayed in the Spaniard’s Agenda team.

Spanish Marca, citing a source inside Alpine, write that Flavio Briatore’s return to the team’s agent position is difficult but possible – after Alpine’s split in recent days with Alain Prost, who held the position.

In particular, the article states that this is a more symbolic than essential position that the French team wishes to defend, despite claims to the contrary.

In addition to his ties to Alonso, Briatore is said to have a close relationship with the Renault boss, also Italian Luca de Meo. And according to a Marca source, Flavio Briatore has always made the best of the rules and the balance of power when he was in charge of Enstone’s team.

Ferrari “Wreck” – Jean Todt

Meanwhile, Ferrari’s potential deal with Jean Todt for the Frenchman to return to Scuderia, including in the role of agent, appears to be falling through – according to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

Todd stepped down as FIA President at the end of his third term on 17 December 2021 and has since been widely rumored to be returning to Maranello as an adviser to the team he led at ‘Empire’ in 1999 until 2004.

According to the report, Ferrari President John Elkan “is not convinced of the role of supervisor that the former FIA boss would take on”. There is also a rumor – unconfirmed – that Todd’s non-return to Ferrari was rejected by Mercedes because he failed to appeal the events of the Abu Dhabi GP to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.