Dodgy Business

For a seasoned old hand's dose of reality, often off record, there's Frank Williams. For reasoned, considered explanation, there's Ron Dennis. And for a sound bite or a laugh, there's Flavio Briatore. At Renault's Monaco launch, he didn't disappoint.

Flav - tall, strong on hair retention, wicked lopsided grin, perma-tan - cuts an imposing figure. Only Flav would get away with launch garb of stonewashed black jeans topped by navy jacket with grey trim - the kind first worn in the seventies by purveyors of dubious sandwiches on the London-Newcastle high-speed train.

Doubtless many of you will have listened to Briatore's launch interview on autosport.com last week, but without seeing Flav's face you might have missed some of the wry humour.

It's worth noting that he faced the media just after Fernando Alonso told all and sundry that Briatore was still his manager. Not so clear according to Flav, who was asked to clarify the champion's management position.

"I don't need to clarify anything," he said. "If you want information, talk with Bruno Michel" - Briatore's partner in their driver management company. "Fernando signed a contract with some company and with this company I don't have any part. Any active part." Pause for theatrical effect. "I'm like Berlusconi, you know...." Much laughter.

Briatore, metaphorically wearing the champion's belt, couldn't resist a few told-you-sos. The British media were singled out for their aghast reaction to the news that Briatore was replacing Jenson Button with Alonso for 2003. I well remember the pre-Silverstone Renault press dinner when the Fleet Street hacks got stuck into Flav over the potential removal of their meal ticket.

"Everyone said Flavio's made a mistake! Flavio did it because he's the manager of Fernando. What kind of position do you have in the team now because you've taken Alonso, who you manage? And Jenson Button, my God, the new British star, de ding, ba boom, bang bang...

"I told you guys then, only the future would tell if I was right or wrong. I guess I was right and you guys were wrong. Simple as that. Or not?"

At which, with exquisite timing, someone piped up: Do you think Jenson can win a race this year?

"Oh my God, you start again! Fucking hell, guys!"

How much has Briatore's position as Renault Sport MD been compromised by Alonso going?

Flavio feigned deep conjecture. "It's serious. Very, very much." The face then cracked a huge grin.

If Alonso and Briatore weren't quite singing from the same hymn sheet then Renault president Patrick Faure said he believed that Briatore had no prior knowledge of Alonso's McLaren defection.

"This is absolutely sure," Faure said. "On that I would put my hand in the fire. For me it's completely obvious and I have a lot of reasons to think so. But I can't say I was enormously happy. Bruno Michel didn't know either. They have an internal problem and that's not a question of Bruno."

What did Carlos Ghosn, the Renault CEO and controller of the purse strings, think about the development?

"Mr Ghosn said nothing because he was in Canada at the time," Faure explained. "We sent him an e-mail. I don't know what his reaction was, but he didn't ring to congratulate me..."

On the subject of any Briatore MD/driver manager conflict of interests - a charge also repeatedly levelled at Craig Pollock when he dovetailed his BAR team principal role with the management of Jacques Villeneuve - Faure said he had no concerns. "It has not proved to be a problem at any time because, first off, we are associated with Flavio in the management of the drivers."

Forget here, folks, that Briatore has just said he's not involved...

As to the reasons for Alonso's decision, a strong favourite is that Renault could not give Fernando confirmed intent of the company's plans to stay in F1 beyond the next couple of years.

"Actually, he never asked us," Faure said, "but if he'd posed the question we would probably have been able to answer him. We were so involved in '06/07 that we didn't think it was that important to conclude something for '08 in 2005. If he had asked if we would be there in '07 or '08 I would have answered yes and would have organised something with Carlos Ghosn, so that he could have met Fernando."

Neither Briatore nor Faure were fans of McLaren's announcement of the Alonso coup.

"The timing was not exactly friendly but at the end of the day we can live with that," Faure asserted. "But, frankly, I was sorry about the way it was done. It could have been done some months later, with us able to prepare. But that's just detail. Maybe if we have extremely good results this year we will make Fernando wonder if he's made the right decision. That's what we will try to do."

Does Faure think it was a blatant attempt to destabilise Renault?

"I think exactly the contrary is happening at the moment. I've never seen Enstone and Viry as motivated as now. They really want to win this year. They always want to win, sure, but secondly they want to prove to Fernando that he was wrong by changing team. It's actually fascinating that they are so motivated."

The French press has been convinced for more than a year that a Renault F1 pullout is imminent. Briatore was not slow to take them to task over it at the launch. Why, Faure was asked, were the French so convinced?

"It's a good question and I could never find the answer. Flavio was right to say what he did because he's been working for years to make things happen and has done well. Seeing the French saying that we are going to pull out instead of saying good job, I understand that he's a bit emotional. It's not very motivating for the team to read in the newspapers every two days that we are pulling out. Especially when the CEO (Ghosn) said exactly the contrary in Magny Cours."

Faure, while acknowledging the top job Alonso did in '05, says Renault is not daunted by Fernando's loss.

"We left F1 in the 90s when we had been six times world champions changing driver every year. We'll have a good team in '07. And while I wouldn't say we have the budget to find the best drivers, I think we have a special talent to find new young drivers."

Would Faure have broken the budget for Fernando?

"I don't know what that budget would have been but probably bigger than we proposed," he admitted. "McLaren Mercedes is probably richer than us, or spending more. We'll discuss drivers with Flavio in April or May.

"Fernando did a top, top job and it's an enormous help to have someone at this level, but I believe that Giancarlo Fisichella will be more integrated in the team than he was last year, which was his first year of coming back to Renault after Fernando had been with us four years.

"I think he will do a good championship in '06, and I'm waiting with a lot of impatience to see what Heikki Kovalainen does in the tests. I prefer to create new stars rather than buy them."

The cynics seized quickly on that. There it was! The admission that the team will favour Fisi this year because Fernando is going. The Italian's stock will rise when he beats Alonso and then the Briatore-owned - sorry, Bruno Michel-owned - Kovalainen will come in the next year, match or better Fisi and, voila, Flav will once again control F1's new hot property.

Except that Enstone houses a real racing team, and real racing teams can't ignore drivers like Alonso. The time sheets tend to dictate strategy. And the team has no concerns about Alonso's commitment.

Basically, he can't help himself. He will drive the wheels off anything he's given. And judging by the times from Jerez so far this week, Fernando looks like being as formidable as ever.

Briatore points out that Schumacher took his second title with Benetton in '95 after his move to Ferrari had become public knowledge. Alonso, he thinks, can do the same.

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- The Autosport.com Team

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