Flavio Breatore Renault Formula 1 Team Manager Date of Birth: 12.04.1950 Country: Italy

1. Early Life and Career
2. Restaurant Management and Financial Success
3. Entry into Formula One
4. Michael Schumacher's Breakthrough
5. Supertec: Providing Formula One Engines
6. Renault F1: A Second Stint
7. Alonso's Championship Success
8. Disqualification and Controversies
9. Personal Life

Early Life and Career

Flaviano Briatore, born on April 12, 1950, in Verzuolo, Italy, initially pursued a career in surveying after graduating from the Istituto Tecnico Fassino di Busca. During his early years, he worked as a ski instructor in the Alps and established a restaurant named "Tribù."

Restaurant Management and Financial Success

As a successful restaurant manager, Briatore became an associate of restaurant magnate Attilio Dutto. After Dutto's untimely demise, Briatore relocated to Milan, where he entered the stock market and crossed paths with Luciano Benetton. He subsequently became the US manager of Benetton's clothing chain.

Entry into Formula One

In 1988, Briatore made his foray into Formula One as the director of the Benetton team, owned by the Benetton family. He attracted a highly skilled team, including John Barnard, Tom Walkinshaw, Ross Brawn, and the promising Michael Schumacher.

Michael Schumacher's Breakthrough

Under Briatore's guidance, Schumacher emerged as a formidable force in Formula One, winning the World Championship in 1994 and 1995. In 1995, the team also secured the Constructors' Championship with the help of Johnny Herbert, whose contract Briatore had acquired from the defunct Lotus team.

Supertec: Providing Formula One Engines

After Renault discontinued its Formula One engine program in 1998, Briatore founded Supertec, a company that collaborated with Mecachrome to supply the competitive Renault V10 engines to Formula One teams, including Benetton.

Renault F1: A Second Stint

In 2001, Renault and the Benetton family reached an agreement for the sale of the struggling Benetton team. Briatore was reinstated as team principal, aiming to win the World Championship. He placed his faith in Jarno Trulli and the young test driver, Fernando Alonso.

Alonso's Championship Success

Under Briatore's leadership, Renault won the Constructors' Championship in 2005 and 2006, while Alonso captured the Drivers' Championship. However, Briatore's tenure came to an end in 2009 after a scandal involving the deliberate crash of Nelson Piquet Jr. at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.

Disqualification and Controversies

Briatore was indefinitely banned from motorsport in 2009 by the FIA. He successfully challenged the ban in court in 2010, but agreed to refrain from holding management positions in Formula One until the end of 2012.

Personal Life

Briatore has been a subject of media attention due to his high-profile relationships with supermodels. He has been linked to Naomi Campbell and has a daughter, Leni, with Heidi Klum. In 2008, he married Italian model Elisabetta Gregoraci, with whom he had a son, Falco.