Flavio Briatore facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Flavio Briatore
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Briatore in 2009
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| Born | 12 April 1950 Verzuolo, Italy
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| Occupation | Businessman |
| Spouse(s) |
Elisabetta Gregoraci
(m. 2008; separated 2017) |
| Children | 2 |
Flavio Briatore (born 12 April 1950) is an Italian businessman. He is best known for his long career in Formula One racing. He was the team principal for the Team Enstone team, which raced as Benetton Formula and later as the Renault F1 Team.
Under his leadership, the team won three World Constructors' Championships and four World Drivers' Championships. After some time away, he returned to Formula One in 2024 as an advisor for the Alpine F1 Team. Briatore also owned part of the English football team Queens Park Rangers from 2007 to 2011.
Contents
Early Life and Benetton Business
Flavio Briatore was born in Verzuolo, Italy, near Cuneo. His parents were elementary school teachers. After finishing school, he worked as a ski instructor and managed a restaurant.
Later, he moved to Milan and worked at the Italian stock exchange. There, he met Luciano Benetton, who founded the famous Benetton clothing company.
Briatore became the director of Benetton's business in the United States. He helped open many Benetton stores across the country. This made him very successful and wealthy.
Formula One Career
Flavio Briatore first attended a Formula One race in 1988. Luciano Benetton then asked him to join his Formula One team, Benetton Formula. Briatore quickly became the managing director. He worked to make Benetton a top team.
Benetton Formula Success
Briatore hired a talented young driver named Michael Schumacher in 1991. He built the team around Schumacher. Schumacher went on to win the World Drivers' Championship in 1994 and 1995. The Benetton team also won the World Constructors' Championship in 1995.
After Schumacher left for Ferrari in 1996, the Benetton team's performance dropped. Briatore left the team in 1997. From 1998 to 2000, he ran a company called Supertec, which supplied Renault engines to other F1 teams.
Leading Renault F1
In 2000, Renault bought the Benetton team. Briatore returned as the managing director and team principal. The team became Renault F1 in 2002.
Briatore is known for finding new talent. He discovered Fernando Alonso when Alonso was a teenager. Briatore helped Alonso get a racing spot with Minardi in 2001. Then, he brought him to Renault as a test driver in 2002.
In 2003, Briatore replaced Jenson Button with Alonso as a main driver. With Alonso, Renault won both the drivers' and constructors' championships in 2005 and 2006. Briatore also managed other F1 drivers like Mark Webber and Heikki Kovalainen.
Departure from Renault
Briatore left his role as team principal of Renault in 2009. This happened because of a controversy involving a crash during the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. It was alleged that a driver, Nelson Piquet Jr., had deliberately crashed to help his teammate, Fernando Alonso, win the race.
After an investigation, Renault and Briatore decided not to fight the charges. Briatore resigned from the team. He later said he resigned to "save the team." The FIA (the sport's governing body) banned Briatore from F1 events. However, a French court later overturned this ban.
Views on F1's Future
Briatore has always believed that Formula One should be more entertaining for fans. In 1994, he said that team owners focused too much on technical details and not enough on the show. He felt that people came to see drivers race, not to learn about car parts.
In 2014, he criticized new rules that made cars quieter and drivers save fuel. He said it was "no longer a sport of gladiators, it is a sport of accountants." He wanted F1 to be more exciting.
Return to F1
In May 2024, Briatore returned to the former Renault F1 team, now called the Alpine F1 Team. He became the Executive Advisor for the Formula One Division. Many people in F1, including other team bosses, welcomed his return.
Upon his return, Briatore worked to reduce costs at Alpine. He aimed to make the team more efficient.
Other Business Ventures
Outside of Formula One, Flavio Briatore has many other business interests, especially in fashion and luxury.
He created the Billionaire brand in 1998. He owns a famous club in Sardinia and opened another Billionaire club in Marbella. He also has a high-fashion clothing line called Billionaire Italian Couture.
Briatore also opened Cipriani's restaurant in London. He owns a beach club in Tuscany and a holiday resort in Kenya.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club
In 2007, Briatore became involved with the English football club Queens Park Rangers (QPR). He bought the club along with Bernie Ecclestone and Lakshmi Mittal. Briatore served as the club's chairman.
He stepped down from his role at QPR in 2010. He later said he would not invest in a football club again, joking that it's only good if you're very rich and want to waste money.
Personal Life
In 1998, Briatore was engaged to supermodel Naomi Campbell. They were together for several years. Campbell still considers him her "mentor."
In 2003, Briatore dated supermodel Heidi Klum. Klum later gave birth to their daughter, Leni Klum. According to Klum, Briatore is not involved in Leni's life. In 2009, Briatore allowed the musician Seal to adopt Leni.
Briatore married model Elisabetta Gregoraci in 2008. They had a son in 2010. They separated in 2017.
Images for kids
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Briatore in 2009
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Briatore (right) with Tom Walkinshaw at the 1993 British Grand Prix
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Briatore in 2008
See also
- The Apprentice (Italian TV series)
