'Flavio Briatore makes comeback to Alpine and sets sights on Newey'

Flavio Briatore is reportedly ready to make a comeback in Formula 1, and to do so with the Alpine team. The former F1 team boss and manager of Fernando Alonso is said to have set his sights on Adrian Newey, who is stepping down from Red Bull Racing next year.

Renault CEO Luca de Meo would like to bring the former Benetton and Renault team boss to the F1 team as part of a change of direction. This has been reported by Corriere della Sera. According to the Italian newspaper, Briatore would start work as a 'special supervisor', a role that does not require direct involvement at the track.

Alpine's sights are reportedly set on Adrian Newey, as part of a major recruitment campaign on the technical side of the team. According to the Italian medium, there is already talk of a temporary agreement, with the condition allegedly being the creation of a competitive team for 2026.

Briatore, who took multiple world titles with Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso, has not been officially involved with an F1 team since 2009. He stepped down as Renault team boss after the Crashgate scandal, in which Nelson Piquet Jr. had to deliberately park his car in the wall to help Alonso to victory. In recent years, the flamboyant ex-team boss has been seen more often in the presence of F1 promoters.