The FIA surprises Alpine: Flavio Briatore is not officially registered as Team Principal
Flavio Briatore’s return to Formula 1 has been a hot topic in recent years – and even more so in recent days, after the sudden and unexpected departure of Oliver Oakes created a media storm in the paddock. With Oakes gone, Briatore seemingly stepped in to take over the role… but not quite officially.
According to the BBC and confirmed by an Alpine spokesperson, Briatore is not registered with the FIA as team principal. Why? Because he doesn’t hold a valid license for the role.
Right now, Dave Greenwood is the person listed as Alpine’s official team principal in the FIA records. Greenwood returned to Enstone from Hitech following Oakes’ exit. He brings with him a strong F1 background, having previously worked with Ferrari, Marussia, and Renault – where he was once under Briatore’s leadership.
So… what is Briatore’s actual role?
The official response from Alpine is clear: Flavio is an “executive advisor”, appointed by Renault to help revive the Alpine F1 project. He does not appear in the FIA’s list of six key team staff positions that must be registered for approval: team principal, sporting director, technical director, team manager, and the two race engineers. This is part of the so-called staff registration system, designed to preserve the integrity of the sport.
Under FIA regulations, a staff member may be rejected from the registry if they are under disciplinary sanction or have violated the FIA code of conduct — and this is where the doubts begin. Briatore’s F1 past isn’t exactly spotless: the 2008 Singapore “Crashgate” scandal still casts a long shadow.
The FIA Code of Conduct
Among the violations considered serious by the FIA are precisely the types of actions linked to that scandal: instructing a driver to crash, causing a deliberate incident, or interfering with the outcome or progress of a race in an unfair manner.
This doesn’t mean Briatore has been sanctioned again — but it explains why the FIA doesn’t officially recognize him as team principal. In short: Briatore can lead the Alpine project from above, and he likely has major influence over decisions and strategies. But he can’t sign official documents, nor can he represent the team before the FIA on race weekends.
Photo: Flavio Briatore