After a lot of of speculation, it was officially confirmed that Italian businessman Flavio Briatore returns to Formula 1 with the task of helping grow the sport on a commercial basis. With the 71-year-old Italian recently providing support in an unofficial capacity, his ongoing responsibilities have been confirmed a few weeks ago in a brief statement issued by Formula 1. Posting about the development on his social media channels, the former Benetton and Renault team boss Flavio Briatore admitted to being “delighted” for his return. He has officially been out of Formula 1 since 2009, when the FIA suspended him for his involvement in the previous year’s ‘crashgate’ scandal in Singapore.
The Italian manager, who has been highly successful in Formula 1 first in the mid-90s with Benetton together with Michael Schumacher and then in the mid-2000s, in Renault, with Fernando Alonso, will now have a new role as sport ‘ambassador’. His task will be to enhance the entertainment and commercial activities that revolve around the Grand Prix, working in synergy with the organizers themselves. So no more teams to manage for Flavio Briatore, who in his career has had the ability to interrupt two cycles of triumphs that seemed unstoppable: those of Williams and Ferrari. The Maranello team, who for the Italian manager has always represented an opponent to overcome, is also his real regret at a sporting level.
“If I would have liked to lead Ferrari? Of course. But they never called me and we always found ourselves against each other: first at Benetton and then at Renault. You can’t say no to Ferrari, those who say they would not want to be in charge of Ferrari are lying . I remember when Michael told me that he was in talks with Ferrari: I immediately understood that it was his dream. Ferrari is a unique reality, even more unique than the results it has achieved.” – Flavio Briatore said in an interview with Corriere della Sera. In 2022, the Maranello team got off to a great start in its title challenge, after several difficult seasons. Flavio Briatore hopes it can be a good year for Ferrari and is convinced that the constant changes within the team have not helped:
“It’s hard to say what mistakes they made – explained the former Renault boss – at least one World Championship, the 2010 one with Fernando Alonso, was thrown away. But we are waiting for them now, they have always said they would aim for 2022. Now that the cards have been reshuffled, I hope that Ferrari will win. And even if it doesn’t win the title, at least it’s competitive. If there will be changes at the top in the event of a flop? There have already been many and I don’t know how much they have helped. With Montezemolo [Ferrari] was always competitive. Marchionne, on the other hand, was extraordinary in many ways, an industry magician. But he didn’t put his mark in Formula 1, I don’t think he understood it completely.” – Flavio Briatore concluded.
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