F1: Once banned, Flavio Briatore is back as team boss at Alpine — what it means for the sport
Alpine’s 2025 Formula One season has been disappointing, with just seven points from six races.
Rookie Jack Doohan has failed to crack the top 10 and retired twice, fueling speculation about a mid-season swap with reserve driver Franco Colapinto.
Before the team could announce any changes, team principal Oliver Oakes resigned after just 10 months in charge.
Executive director Flavio Briatore has stepped in to take over.
The 75-year-old returns to a leading role in F1, 17 years after receiving a lifetime ban over the 2008 Crashgate scandal.
Why was Flavio Briatore banned?
In 2009, the FIA handed Flavio Briatore a lifetime ban for his role in the “Crashgate” scandal.
As Renault team boss in 2008, Briatore allegedly instructed driver Nelson Piquet Jr. to crash deliberately during the Singapore Grand Prix to help teammate Fernando Alonso win the race.
Piquet Jr. revealed this after leaving the team. The FIA investigation concluded that Renault had conspired to fix the race.
Briatore and chief engineer Pat Symonds left the team days before the verdict.
Briatore was banned from all FIA-sanctioned events indefinitely.
When did Briatore return?
Flavio Briatore returned to the team—now Alpine—in May 2024.
He was brought back by Renault CEO Luca de Meo to help revive a struggling operation.
Since then, Briatore has:
- Overhauled parts of the factory setup
- Played a key role in signing reserve driver Franco Colapinto from Williams