A playboy lifestyle, hobbies that include owning a football team and a day job of being principal of the Renault Formula One Team, Flavio Briatore had it all.
After two decades in the sport, Renault announced on September 16 that Briatore and Pat Symonds, his right-hand man, had left the company following allegations of conspiring with Nelson Piquet Jr to fix the result of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. The team announced that it would ‘not dispute’ the allegations and duly received a lifetime ban from Formula One which in turn was suspended until the end of the 2011 season. Briatore was banned from all aspects of the sport indefinitely as the Motor Sport Council met on Monday, September 21.
After two decades in the sport, Briatore will be remembered as the man that engineered championship success for Michael Schumacher and then Fernando Alonso.
Briatore’s road to Formula One began in the mid 1970s when he met with Luciano Benetton in Milan, whilst working in the stock exchange. Briatore took the Benetton clothing franchise to the US in 1977 and with the help of a strong – if controversial – advertising campaign, the business was a huge success.
Benetton purchased the Toleman team at the end of the 1985 season and rebranded the in team the united colours of Benetton. Briatore attended his first grand prix in 1988 at Adelaide a guest of the team and joined them as commercial director the following year. Although the team had enjoyed reasonable success with Gerhard Berger taking their first victory in 1986, it was not until the arrival of Briatore that the team became regular race winners..
Michael Schumacher made his debut with Jordan in 1991 at the Belgian Grand Prix but by the next race at Monza, Schumacher was contracted to Benetton alongside triple world champion Nelson Piquet.
Briatore spotted Schumacher’s undeniable talent and had no qualms about replacing the experienced Roberto Moreno with the rising star. A year after his debut, Schumacher took his first victory at Spa Francorchamps.
Championship success followed in 1994 for Schumacher, but it was a year of controversy for the team. The FIA investigated redundant driver aid’s that had been banned from the sport but appeared on the team’s B194. In 1994 he bought Ligier team in order to acquire their stock of Renault engines, however FIA regulations meant that he could not own the team – he sold it to Tom Walkinshaw. In 1995 Briatore guided Benetton to the constructors’ championship for the first time.
Ever the business man, he bought a share of Minardi in 1996, he had hoped to sell it to British American Tobacco, but when negotiations failed he sold the share back to the other team owners. Briatore left Benetton in 1997 and formed Supertec to build and supply engines to teams including Benetton .
When Renault re-entered the sport in 2000 having bought out the Benetton team, Briatore became managing director. He recruited Fernando Alonso for 2003 – a move which kick-started the second high of Briatore’s career. Alonso took the championship in 2005 and 2006 with the team also securing the constructors’ title in 2005.
While Briatore enjoyed a great deal of success on track, he was also a leading voice demanding that the ‘show’ must improve. “F1 is too predictable and the show is not fantastic,” he said in 2008. “We need it less predictable in the races. And, more important, we need to be much closer to the people – we need more stars, more developing of sponsors together, we need more of everyone.”
Away from F1 Briatore purchased the London football club Queens Park Rangers in 2007, as part of a consortium of investors including Bernie Ecclestone. He described this purchase as a hobby he could enjoy and nurture – when not involved with the running of the F1 team.
Briatore’s image is reminiscent to F1 of the past, he enjoys the glamour and the celebrity of his position and all the trappings his vast wealth affords. He loves beautiful women and has enjoyed many high profile affairs with supermodels including Naomi Campbell and Heidi Klum with who he has a daughter. In 2008 he married wonder bra model Elisabetta Gregoraci – 30 years his junior – and the couple announced they were expecting a child in 2009.
After quitting “for the sake of the team” Briatore was later banned from the sport for an “unlimited period”. His F1 career will be remembered for race fixing rather than his efforts to bring F1 to a wider audience. “Formula One is not just about sport and technology,” he said. “What attracts people is the glamour, the lifestyle, the drama…”
Earl ALEXANDER
© CAPSIS International
via F1-Live
