Briatore says fully committed to F1

Briatore is part of a consortium looking at taking over the London club, and it comes amid speculation that F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone is also looking at buying into Arsenal.

But while Briatore's talks continue, he has made it clear that even if a deal with QPR is successful he will not be diverting any of his attention away from F1.

"It is like any other business," he said in his office at the Renault motorhome on Friday. "I opened (restaurant) Cipriana in London, but I am not in the kitchen cooking. I have people managing it. It is possible to have different businesses and not be involved.

"My business is F1. Formula One is my priority 100 percent. Everything else we do in a professional way, but we are a group of friends. It is more a bit of fun.

"My focus is F1, especially next year because next year for us we need to be competitive again. This year we are a bit on holiday and next year we need to get back to business."

Briatore denied that a QPR deal had been completed and said he was surprised that his bid had generated so much interest.

"We are talking," he said. "We are a bunch of friends together. I don't think it is such a big issue.

"There are a lot of people talking at this moment with QPR and we are talking like that. I know the guys involved and it is like that, but it is nothing formally done. Absolutely nothing."