Renault look set to bring back controversial former chief Flavio Briatore to help revive the in-crisis Alpine team.
Briatore led the Enstone outfit for 19 years having first joined in 1990 when it was branded as Benetton. But he left in disgrace in 2009 having been implicated in the infamous Nelson Piquet Jr 'Crashgate' scandal.
He was banned from all FIA events, but that sanction was later overturned on appeal in the French courts. Now 74, the Italian businessman has not been directly involved with an F1 team ever since, though he has still been a regular in the paddock and remains Fernando Alonso's manager.
But Renault seem to have decided to bring him back into the fold as a special adviser in a desperate bid to revive their failing Alpine project, according to a report in Italy's Corriere della Sera.
Approached by Mirror Sport, an Alpine spokesperson failed to confirm or deny the claim that Renault CEO Luca de Meo wants to bring Briatore back to the team and said they "cannot comment on any individual matters".
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They offered a short statement which read: "As a team, we are in frequent contact with a number of industry experts in pursuit of improving overall performance. We consider all relevant inputs and, when appropriate, seek advice from people with experience and previous success."
Benetton enjoyed success under Briatore's leadership as Michael Schumacher won the first two of his seven F1 titles there in the mid-1990s. There was a period of decline after Schumacher left for Ferrari but more success later after a rebrand to Renault.
Flavio Briatore has led the Renault F1 team before (AFP/Getty Images)Briatore famously axed Jenson Button to bring in Alonso who went on to become a double champion with the team. However, the modern-day version of the Enstone-based outfit is a mere shadow of what it once was. Strugglers Alpine finished fourth in the constructors' championship in 2022 and looked primed to threaten the top teams. But they have regressed since and, after the first eight rounds of this season, have scored just two points.
There has also been an exodus of talent. F1 legend Alain Prost left his director role two years ago, sparking a bitter row, team principal Otmar Szafnauer and sporting director Alan Permane were axed in the middle of last season, weeks after CEO Laurent Rossi left, and technical director Matt Harman exited earlier this year.
The decline has happened despite investment from a swathe of famous faces including Wrexham co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. There are several top sports stars also on board, including Liverpool footballer Trent Alexander-Arnold, golf legend Rory McIlroy, former boxing champion Anthony Joshua and NFL Super Bowl winners Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.
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