“He’s a Very Nice Guy”: Ralf Schumacher on Flavio Briatore Returning to the Paddock

Flavio Briatore has been one of the most controversial figures in F1 history, owing to his involvement in the infamous 2008 Crashgate scandal. After that, the then-Renault boss received a lifetime ban from all on and off-track aspects of F1.

Since the overturning of his ban, Briatore recently returned to the F1 paddock for the first time in an official capacity as Alpine’s Executive Advisor. While many have given mixed reactions to his return, Ralf Schumacher feels that Briatore is a “nice guy” and has served his punishment to earn a second chance in the sport.

In an interview with Formel1.de, Schumacher said, “He has been punished. But I don’t know, I think he’s a very nice guy with a lot of charisma.”

Schumacher believes that Briatore still has the ability to lead a team like he led Benetton and then Renault to multiple world championships in the ’90s and early 2000s. Barring the Crashgate controversy, Briatore worked incredibly hard to lead the French team to glory during his tenure.

However, his involvement in the Crashgate saga when he allegedly orchestrated Nelson Piquet Jr.’s crash in Singapore overshadows all his good contributions for Renault. Perhaps the French manufacturer is trying to change this perspective by trusting Briatore again based on his past success.

Currently, their Alpine F1 operation is in the doldrums with the team nowhere near their expectations of fighting for podiums and wins. At the start of the 2024 season, they had an overweight car that was rock bottom in the pecking order.

Since Briatore’s arrival, they have started to make some tough decisions, with more attrition of personnel and the call to cease their indigenous engine program from 2025 onwards. However, their on-track progress is still quite slow and the Italian boss will have to inspire them to revive the French team’s glory days.

Schumacher backs Briatore despite him aging

Schumacher contrasted Briatore with another F1 veteran — Helmut Marko. The Red Bull advisor has been in F1 for a long time as well, with a diverse motorsport background. Marko is currently 81, seven years older than Briatore.

Despite the same, Schumacher believes that the Austrian seems younger than Briatore. Nevertheless, the former Williams driver has backed Briatore’s abilities to turn Alpine’s situation around. He admired Briatore’s confidence in wanting to achieve the same in two years.

While Briatore’s age may restrict him from traveling with the team throughout the grueling 24-race season, Schumacher feels the Italian’s business acumen and vast amount of F1 management experience will certainly benefit the Enstone outfit.