How Briatore is already living up to his Alpine remit

OPINION: Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo has Flavio Briatore off the bench as an impact player. He might be 74 years old, but is already getting down to what he does best, says STUART CODLING

“Flavio,” a senior Formula 1 figure remarked to GP Racing at the British Grand Prix weekend,  “has made a huge change to the culture at Alpine, almost overnight.”

You can’t have missed Flavio Briatore’s re-installation for a third stint in charge of ‘Team Enstone’, at the behest of Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo. Flav’s job title is ‘Executive Adviser’ but nobody was fooled, least of all the usually somnambulant team principal Bruno Famin, who very quickly became a minister without portfolio and has now – to the sound of nobody's jaw dropping – joined the swelling ranks of ex-leaders who have exited Enstone's revolving doors at grand vitesse.