Latest news with #Briatore
TimesLIVE
7 days ago
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
De Meo's exit changes nothing for Alpine F1 team, Briatore says
The departure from Renault of CEO Luca de Meo changes nothing for the French carmaker's Alpine Formula One team, de facto principal Flavio Briatore told Reuters on Sunday. Renault announced De Meo was leaving shortly after the newspaper Le Figaro reported he will take over the leadership of the luxury group Kering. Briatore, a title-winning boss of the Benetton and Renault F1 teams, returned to Formula One a year ago as executive adviser to De Meo and has been running the team since Oliver Oakes resigned as principal. Briatore has denied being tasked to improve the team's performance before selling it. Alpine are currently last of the 10 teams. 'Nothing, absolutely nothing,' Briatore said when asked after the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal what De Meo's departure changed for the team. 'Nothing changed for me. Not for me or the team. And congratulations to Luca, new job,' he said. Alpine will compete with Mercedes power units next season after Renault decided last September to end engine production at its Viry-Chatillon factory outside Paris. The team, whose investors include Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds and NFL stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, are alone in using Renault power units. De Meo said last October that Renault were spending up to €250m (R5.19bn) a year on engine production while buying in from another manufacturer would cost less than $20m (R358.94m).
Straits Times
15-06-2025
- Automotive
- Straits Times
De Meo's exit changes nothing for Alpine F1 team, Briatore says
FILE PHOTO: Renault Group's CEO Luca de Meo attends the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, France, June 11, 2025. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo De Meo's exit changes nothing for Alpine F1 team, Briatore says MONTREAL - The departure from Renault of chief executive Luca de Meo changes nothing for the French carmaker's Alpine Formula One team, de facto principal Flavio Briatore told Reuters on Sunday. Renault announced Luca De Meo was leaving shortly after the newspaper Le Figaro reported he will take over the leadership of the luxury group Kering. Briatore, a title-winning boss of the Benetton and Renault F1 teams, returned to Formula One a year ago as executive adviser to De Meo and has been running the team since Oliver Oakes resigned as principal. Briatare has denied being tasked to improve the team's performance prior to selling it. Alpine are currently last of the 10 teams. "Nothing, absolutely nothing," Briatore said when asked after the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal what De Meo's departure changed for the team. "Nothing changed for me. Not for me or the team. And congratulations to Luca, new job," he said. Alpine will compete with Mercedes power units next season after Renault decided last September to end engine production at its Viry-Chatillon factory outside Paris. The team, whose investors include Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds and NFL stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, are currently alone in using Renault power units. De Meo said last October that Renault were spending up to 250 million euros ($289 million) a year on engine production while buying in from another manufacturer would cost less than $20 million. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hindustan Times
15-06-2025
- Automotive
- Hindustan Times
Motor racing-De Meo's exit changes nothing for Alpine F1 team, Briatore says
MONTREAL, - The departure from Renault of chief executive Luca de Meo changes nothing for the French carmaker's Alpine Formula One team, de facto principal Flavio Briatore told Reuters on Sunday. Renault announced Luca De Meo was leaving shortly after the newspaper Le Figaro reported he will take over the leadership of the luxury group Kering. Briatore, a title-winning boss of the Benetton and Renault F1 teams, returned to Formula One a year ago as executive adviser to De Meo and has been running the team since Oliver Oakes resigned as principal. Briatare has denied being tasked to improve the team's performance prior to selling it. Alpine are currently last of the 10 teams. "Nothing, absolutely nothing," Briatore said when asked after the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal what De Meo's departure changed for the team. "Nothing changed for me. Not for me or the team. And congratulations to Luca, new job," he said. Alpine will compete with Mercedes power units next season after Renault decided last September to end engine production at its Viry-Chatillon factory outside Paris. The team, whose investors include Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds and NFL stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, are currently alone in using Renault power units. De Meo said last October that Renault were spending up to 250 million euros a year on engine production while buying in from another manufacturer would cost less than $20 million.
The Star
08-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Star
Flavio's flavour
BEFORE his return to Formula One in June of last year as an executive adviser to Alpine, Flavio Briatore made a vow to Luca de Meo, the chief executive of the Renault Group. 'I promised Luca that in two, three years, the team would be on the podium, or very close to the podium,' Briatore said in an interview in May. 'That was only nine months ago.' To de Meo and Renault, Alpine is the family jewel, and Briatore, 75, is charged with restoring the team's lustre. 'I'd been in contact with Luca,' Briatore said about his initial return to the team. 'One day we were talking, and he was desperate because the team were last in the table,' referring to the constructors' championship. 'I said to him that under the right conditions, then maybe I'd come back to help, just as a consultant, for six or seven Grands Prix, nothing like the role is now,' he added. 'It was something completely different to what it is now.' After 14 years out of Formula One, Briatore, who had vowed to never return, indeed came back. He had been banned from the sport when he was the team principal of Renault because of the 'Crashgate' scandal, in which the Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr. deliberately crashed at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix to bring out a safety car that would help his teammate, Fernando Alonso, win the race. The ban was eventually overturned by a French court. Briatore taking a selfie with former MotoGP rider and compatriot Valentino Rossi at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari racetrack in Imola, Italy, on May 18. — AP 'I had possibilities to come back immediately, but they weren't right,' Briatore said. 'I wanted to stop anyway, maybe not in that way, but it was time to finish. I'd won seven championships, and Formula One is very demanding.' As team principal of Benetton, Briatore guided Michael Schumacher to the first two of his seven drivers' titles in 1994 and 1995. The team won the constructors' championship in 1995. In 2005 and 2006, with Renault, Briatore led Alonso and the team to the drivers' and constructors' championships. After leaving Formula One, Briatore, an Italian entrepreneur, focused on his businesses in the food and beverage industry. He said he had had 'one or two proposals' to return, but 'nothing very exciting' until his conversations with de Meo. Briatore is back with the team for the third time. 'In a few months, we have done a lot for the organisation,' he said. 'We've changed the commercial side, the marketing side, and we've brought in two or three very important sponsors. 'We've changed a lot of people on the technical side. I would say the team is now 85% complete. We're still missing key people to make us stronger next year, but I know who they are.' Briatore said that the mood inside the team had changed since his arrival as adviser and that the people were more motivated. Alpine's Pierre Gasly in action as spectators on yachts look on during practice for the Monaco Grand Prix. — Reuters After six Grands Prix, Alpine have scored points once, a seventh place from Pierre Gasly in Bahrain, and are currently bottom in the 10-team constructors' championship. Gasly said Briatore had 'brought a lot of good to the team.' 'Formula One is not a sport where things change over two, three months,' he said. 'We need time, but he is clearly pushing everybody in the right direction, in a very impressive way, trying to get the maximum out of every department, and trying hard to put the team in a better place.' Jack Doohan, who was replace by Franco Colapinto with the team deciding to 'rotate' the race seat alongside Gasly, said Briatore was 'an icon' and 'someone I've looked up to for a very, very long time.' 'I love his brutal, to-the-point nature,' he said, adding there's 'no mucking around.' 'You find out what's going on very, very quickly. ' Briatore agreed. 'You need to tell the truth,' he said. 'I don't have time to massage people's egos, so I'm very straight with everybody. 'No politics. Not in my team. This is most important.' Gasly, who finished eighth at last week's Spanish Grand Prix, is the only driver to score points for Alpine. — AP Doohan will remain with Alpine as a test and reserve driver through the evaluation period ahead of 2026, when the team change their engine supplier. That means Renault will not be involved in Formula One for the first time since 1988. Alpine will use Mercedes power units in 2026. 'It was a very hard decision,' Briatore said. 'But if you want to compete at the highest level, whatever your business, you need to be at the same pace as everybody else.' In the team's various guises over the years, as Renault, Lotus and Alpine, they have not been champions since 2006. In 96 Grands Prix since the team rebranded as Alpine in 2021, they have won one race and scored five additional podium finishes. Briatore said that with the changes being made, it would be champion again: 'Why not? Sure. If you see the teams in front of us, they're nothing special. It's only people, more committed, less distracted.' — NYT
Newsweek
08-06-2025
- Automotive
- Newsweek
Alpine F1 Unveils Smart Sneakers With Built-In Chip for Exclusive Access
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Alpine Formula One team is not only upping its game on track, but it is also enhancing the fan experience by quite a margin. The team has launched unique travel sneakers that offer exclusive access to customers and connect them to Alpine's "loyalty ecosystem." Alpine partnered with Endstate, a footwear and technology company based in Boston, to develop the sneakers that come with an NFC chip embedded in the tongue. Customers can tap their phones to gain access to exclusive Alpine F1 experiences and product authentication. The handcrafted tech sneakers are made in Portugal with a leather upper and rubber outsole, designed to be worn by all genders. Franco Colapinto of Argentina driving the (43) Alpine F1 A525 Renault on track during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Spain at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on May 31, 2025 in Barcelona, Spain. Franco Colapinto of Argentina driving the (43) Alpine F1 A525 Renault on track during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Spain at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on May 31, 2025 in Barcelona, calls the partnership the amalgamation of high-performance motorsport with modern footwear design backed by technology. The product description states: "BWT Alpine Formula 1 Team have partnered with Endstate to create a contemporary luxury sneaker designed specifically for the racing team. The collaboration marks a significant milestone in merging high-performance motorsport with modern footwear design embedded with technology. "Each Alpine x Endstate sneaker seamlessly integrates an Endstate NFC chip (3chip) embedded within the tongue, transforming the shoes into a gateway for exclusive Alpine experiences and product authentication. The 3chip activates through a simple smartphone tap, instantly connecting owners to Alpine's loyalty ecosystem." The BWT Alpine Formula One Team Travel Sneaker is here! 👟 Crafted with @Endstate, each pair features an embedded chip unlocking exclusive BWT Alpine Formula One Team experiences and authenticating your — BWT Alpine Formula One Team (@AlpineF1Team) June 7, 2025 The Alpine F1 team has also been witnessing technological and managerial changes in its efforts to climb the pecking order. The team's senior advisor, Flavio Briatore, has assumed the team boss role after the exit of Oliver Oakes in May, until a new team principal takes charge. Briatore joined Alpine last year, and since his onboarding, the Enstone outfit has been preparing to not only enhance performance in the current season but also plan for next year, when the sport enters a new era of regulations. Addressing the changes, Briatore told F1: "We're back in the business, with Alpine. Not easy because the team has gone through a lot of change, especially in the last four or five years, not only now. But little by little, we try to put the team together, the people together. "We're looking for next year as well – for the new engine and the new gearbox from Mercedes-Benz. So, this is our goal for next year. In the meantime, we need to be more competitive. We are not competitive for the moment, like I want, but [it] takes time." Speaking on the progress made in finding a new team principal, Briatore said: "We're looking. For the moment, nothing changed. I feel sorry for Ollie, honestly, because I had a very good relationship with him. He was a good team principal. "Everybody knows for personal reasons he stopped and resigned from Alpine. We're looking. We don't want to make any mistake. I'm prepared to take some time. But the moment we decide what is the new team manager, put in this way, we'll tell you."
