The one certainty that Alpine gets from Briatore's F1 return

The last time I had seen Flavio Briatore in the paddock was at Imola. He was among the throng of guests who were being shuffled behind Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali as they made their way between motorhomes to a walkway on to the grid for the grand prix.

Almost anonymous among the crowd, with more attention being given to Hugh Grant just a few metres in front of him, he very much fell into the category of people who are semi-regular in the paddock but no longer on the ‘must talk to’ list. Sure, he kept close ties with Domenicali and FOM, and still works with Fernando Alonso, but he was certainly far from being one of the key paddock players that he once was.

Fast forward to last weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix and the situation could not be more different. On the grid, television crew after television crew were seen queuing up to speak to him to get a soundbite – and he was revelling being back in the spotlight. Forget that there was a close fight between McLaren and Red Bull for wins – Briatore appeared to be a main man again.

In just 72 hours, all the controversy about his appointment in the wake of his alleged role in ‘Crashgate’, and the questions about what Alpine was thinking in stirring up the past, had quickly faded into the background. While the confirmation from Alpine of Briatore’s role as executive advisor to Renault CEO Luca de Meo seemed at first glance to be quite a minor role, make no mistake, from his perspective it has become a big deal.

You could see that in the way he was working the paddock again. Briatore was not just at the Spanish GP, he was everywhere at the Spanish GP. Whether he was chatting to senior figures in the Alpine motorhome, speaking to journalists, visiting other motorhomes in the paddock, or taking de Meo for private chats elsewhere, or making his presence known on the grid, Briatore the player was back.

On Sunday morning, as he walked through the paddock with de Meo, he beckoned me over to say hello. And, having known him for decades – through the good and the bad – he laughed as he first introduced me to de Meo as one of the “nasty British press”.

Briatore was relishing being back in the limelight and getting involved in discussions with F1's biggest players

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

But it was clear from our short chat about what he would be doing at Alpine, that his new job is not just a part-time project where he will be asked to submit a few ideas on a PowerPoint presentation and then see if the Renault board acts on it. Instead, there was very much the impression of a man fired up by ambition and excited to get his hands on something where he feels he can make a difference.

“Give me two years and you will see,” he smiled, as he patted me on the back and disappeared off back into the Alpine motorhome.

Briatore seems energised by what he has been given – and there are comparisons that can be made to when he was brought in by the Benetton family to run its F1 team in the late 1980s. At the time, the former Toleman squad lacked direction and needed a spark of creativity if it was going to make the step to become a winner and world champion.

In Briatore, de Meo has perhaps exactly what he needs: a player at the centre of the F1 paddock who gets things done and is not afraid to ruffle a few feathers along the way

It’s an eerily similar situation for Alpine, which has appeared to be a bit lost this season, and at a crossroads in its F1 ambitions. There has been upheaval behind the scenes with a host of staff changes, the team has been battling an uncompetitive car and there have been flashpoints on track as Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly have not always seen eye to eye.

If Alpine wants to become a serious contender in F1, then it can’t mess around and do things by half. It needs to be bold, it needs to get its elbows out and it needs to not be afraid of the optics or outside criticisms in what it ends up doing. All that should matter is taking decisions that make its car go quicker.

It cannot be coincidence that, as Briatore arrives, Alpine is on the verge of doing the unthinkable: abandoning its works Renault engine that has been a mainstay of the French manufacturer’s F1 efforts since the 1970s. If there is one man who knows the strengths or weaknesses of the Viry/Enstone alliance, and would be ruthless to say enough is enough, based on current performance levels, it’s Briatore.

It has also been fascinating to see an almost instant change of stance on drivers too – an element of the package that Briatore has always felt is critical to success. As he learned during the title-winning years with Benetton, when Michael Schumacher and Alonso delivered world championships, it is absolutely critical to have the right talent on board.

Briatore was instrumental in extricating Michael Schumacher out of Jordan and bringing him to Benetton

Photo by: LAT Photographic

Whereas previously Alpine had said it was happy to sit back and wait for the driver market to play out, it’s not an approach that Briatore agrees with. And, while there are not many top-line options left available for next year, Carlos Sainz’s stalling in making what had appeared to be a clear decision between Williams and Audi meant he has not yet committed – so it’s no surprise that suddenly Alpine has thrust itself in to the ring and made him a late offer.

That is very much the trademark approach of Briatore in that there are no half measures for an F1 team if it wants to make a success of it in F1. There is little room for emotion (hence Singapore 2008 is an irrelevance for him and the team), and all that matters is doing what is needed to win.

And, while F1 has changed a great deal in technology terms since Briatore was last involved, some of the core ingredients remain: that means getting the right people in place to help create a winning team. There are already rumours he has got the feelers out to lure some big names from elsewhere.

In Briatore, de Meo has perhaps exactly what he needs: a player at the centre of the F1 paddock who gets things done and is not afraid to ruffle a few feathers along the way. As Briatore told French channel Canal+ about taking on the job: “It's not something that came out last night, we've been talking for months.

“I have a great feeling with Luca [de Meo], I really think he's a genius. The only part [where they lack something] is Formula 1, and I think I'm a genius in Formula 1! We've found each other again.”

Will Briatore's return provide the impetus Alpine needs to extricate itself from the current malaise?

Photo by: Alpine