The boss of Renault’s Formula 1 team brushed aside any concerns about welcoming back the man who disgraced them 15 years ago.
Flavio Briatore left Renault in 2009 after his role in the ‘Crashgate’ conspiracy was revealed. He and Renault’s head of engineering Pat Symonds were found to have arranged for one of their drivers to deliberately crash, causing a Safety Car period which their other car benefited from.
The FIA originally gave Briatore a lifetime ban. Pat Symonds, Renault’s head of engineering at the time, was given a lesser five-year ban as the governing body noted he admitted what had happened.
Both bans were subsequently reduced. Briatore has insisted there is no proof he was involved in the conspiracy.
Renault was also given a suspended permanent ban from the sport, which hung over the team for two years. The manufacturer pulled out of F1 soon afterwards, remaining only as an engine supplier, but returned as a full constructor in 2016 by taking over the same Enstone-based team it ran before.
Now operating under its Alpine brand, the team confirmed today it has re-hired Briatore as an executive advisor. Team principal Bruno Famin gave a curt response when asked whether he was concerned his returning predecessor had never apologised for his role in one of F1’s most notorious conspiracies.
“I’m looking ahead, not backward,” Famin stated.
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“I already answered questions about the past and I don’t really mind about the past,” he stated. “I’m always looking about future and trying what we can get and to get our team better. That’s really our goal.
“What I see with having Flavio as an advisor of the team is the opportunity to have his experience and to help us. He has a very high-level knowledge of Formula 1. He knows a lot of people. And I’m sure he will support us in developing the team faster and better. That’s all.”
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