Alpine Appoint Briatore In Bid To Reverse Fortunes

Barcelona, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Jun, 2024) The ailing Alpine Formula One team on Friday announced the return of Flavio Briatore to help turn their fortunes around after a tricky start to the season.

Briatore, 74, was a hugely influential figure in the sport, as team boss of Benetton he guided Michael Schumacher to the first two of his seven world titles in 1994 and 1995.

After Renault bought Benetton, the now rebranded Alpine, his reputation as a talent scout paid off with Fernando Alonso, who went on to win the 2005 and 2006 world championships.

Scandal then engulfed the flamboyant 74-year-old Italian with the controversy over the fixing of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix forcing his resignation.

The incident, dubbed 'crashgate', centred on Nelson Piquet junior who the FIA deemed had been ordered to deliberately crash to allow an advantage to teammate Alonso.