Alpine’s Controversial Hire: Flavio Briatore Returns to Formula 1 Amidst Team Turmoil

Alpine made a controversial decision by hiring Flavio Briatore, former boss of the Benetton and Renault Formula 1 teams, as an executive consultant. Briatore previously led the team to two championships with Michael Schumacher during the Benetton era in the 1990s. Later, he achieved more success with Fernando Alonso when Renault took over the team. However, his management ended in scandal after the infamous race-fixing incident at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. Despite initially being banned from motorsport by the FIA, Briatore remained active in the racing world and recently had been involved in commercial matters with F1. His appointment by Alpine marks his return to a prominent role in Formula 1 since the scandal, and is especially notable as it is with the team that has now become Renault. The news of Briatore’s arrival comes at a turbulent time for Alpine, which has undergone significant management changes and faced difficulties with a slow car at the start of the 2024 season. Rumors have even circulated that the team may consider giving up its factory team status to pursue a customer engine deal.