Nelson Piquet Jr. has described having Flavio Briatore as his manager as the \u201cbiggest mistake\u201d he and his family made during his brief F1 career.<\/p>\n
Piquet\u2019s F1 career was fleeting after he was dumped by Renault, then managed by Briatore, midway through the 2009 season before the duo were identified as key players in the infamous crashgate scandal.<\/p>\n
Nelson Piquet Jr criticises Flavio Briatore management role<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for news you can trust.<\/p>\n Reflecting on their complicated relationship, Piquet admitted he felt that \u201cnot having someone we could trust\u201d was a major career error as Briatore managed a pool of drivers that also included Fernando Alonso.<\/p>\n \u201cThe biggest mistake for me was having Flavio as my manager, as my mentor,\u201d Piquet Jr. told SoyMotor.com.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was our mistake \u2013 mine and my parents\u2019 \u2013 not having someone we could trust.<\/p>\n \u201cWe should have had someone to advise us, to protect my interests.<\/p>\n \u201cHe had six, seven or eight drivers\u2026 I was just a number in the game. He did whatever he needed to do with the puzzle to make the biggest profit.\u201d<\/p>\n Arriving on the grid in 2008, Piquet Jr. started 28 grands prix with Renault, but was dropped during the F1 2009 summer break after being over shadowed by Alonso.<\/p>\n Briatore rose to lead the Renault F1 operation having held that position during the squad\u2019s time as Benetton during the 1990s.<\/p>\n Then, he led the team to world championships with Michael Schumacher, and again almost a decade later with Alonso.<\/p>\n The Italian was instrumental in bringing Schumacher to Benetton in 1991 with Alonso his first driver management deal which has also included Mark Webber, Heikki Kovalainen, Jarno Trulli, and Piquet.<\/p>\n While the partnership with Alonso is noteworthy for its two world title wins, the Piquet relationship in clouded by the events of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.<\/p>\n Swept under the rug at the time, following his dismissal from the team in 2009,\u00a0Piquet Jr. informed the FIA about the circumstances surrounding his race-ending crash in Marina Bay.<\/p>\n The resulting scandal saw Piquet offered immunity while Briatore had a ban imposed by the FIA overturned by a French court.<\/p>\n More on Alpine from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n Oliver Bearman points finger at Franco Colapinto over \u2018unacceptable\u2019 move<\/a><\/p>\n Alpine F1 appointment brings renewed focus to Otro sale plans<\/a><\/p>\n Since leaving F1, Piquet has raced in Formula E, winning the title in the 2014-15 season.<\/p>\n Now 40 years old, he\u2019s continued to compete in endurance racing, stock cars and, most recently, touring cars.<\/p>\n Briatore meanwhile once again heads the Enstone F1 operation, today known as Alpine.<\/p>\n After not holding an official role within the sport in the wake of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, the 76-year-old is now a consultant appointed by former Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo.<\/p>\n That sees him effectively run the organisation alongside managing director Steve Nicholls.<\/p>\n Briatore has also remained active as a driver manager, with Franco Colapinto linked with the Italian, though is officially managed by Bullet Sports Management. Briatore previously managed Jack Doohan, though their relationship ended as the Australian left the team at the end of the F1 2025 season.<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n