In the round-up: Former Formula 1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone reveals his role in Flavio Briatore’s return to Alpine.
In brief
Ecclestone recommended “bandit” Briatore
Ecclestone said Renault CEO Luca de Meo consulted him on whether to invite Briatore back to the team he ran until 2009, when he was banned by the FIA for his role in the Crashgate scandal.
“I spoke to Renault boss Luca de Meo on the phone for a long time,” Ecclestone told Blick. “He was desperate.
“Then the word Briatore came up. We quickly agreed that in such a confusing situation only a doer, a bandit among angels, could help. And there are enough saints in the prand prix circus.”
Ecclestone believes Briatore is the right person to turn the struggling team around. “Flavio’s great strength has always been: ‘Keep the discussions short, do things and think big’,” he said. “You don’t need friends in Formula 1, you just need success.”
McLaren rattled Red Bull – Norris
Lando Norris believes Red Bull’s mistakes in the Austrian Grand Prix was a result of them being put under pressure by McLaren.
Despite retiring after his collision with Max Verstappen while fighting with him for the lead, Norris said: “I thought it was a good race until then.
“Clearly a little bit on the back foot in terms of overall pace compared to Max: In the first and second stints he would always just edge away that little bit.
“But they just seemed to make a lot more mistakes than what we did. They messed up that pit stop, which is rare from them, but clearly a bit of pressure from their side and they started to slip up a little bit.”
Red Bull to reveal special livery
Red Bull will reveal a special livery for this weekend’s round of the championship at Silverstone, which is a short distance from their Milton Keynes base. Teaser images on social media indicated the car will feature more red this weekend as they mark their 20th season in F1.
Doohan to run in practice again
Alpine announced Jack Doohan will make his second appearance in a free practice session on Friday when he takes over Pierre Gasly’s car for first practice. As he previously drove Ocon’s car in Canada, where rain limited his running to just three laps, Doohan’s latest appearance will complete the team’s obligation to run a junior driver in each of their cars during the season.
Two other drivers, Oliver Bearman and Franco Colapinto, will also participate in the first practice session, for Haas and…
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