The Italian is an executive advisor, which effectively makes him the conduit between majority shareholders Renault and the F1 team. He was the driving force behind the decision to scrap the engine division (and buy a Mercedes power unit instead), as well as the hiring\/firing of Franco Colapinto and Jack Doohan.<\/p>\n
![\"Flavio](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2222607672-1024x682.jpg\")
Photo by Mark Thompson\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
At 75, Briatore, who won four world championships for Benetton\/Renault between 1994 and 2006, is also the oldest team \u2018boss\u2019 in the paddock by some distance. The closest is Fred Vasseur at 57.<\/p>\n
Alpine have been linked with Christian Horner<\/a>, and if Briatore were to retire soon, there could theoretically be a vacancy for the recently-sacked Red Bull boss.<\/p>\n Flavio Briatore is still \u2018really committed to F1\u2019 at the age of 75<\/p>\n Ralf Schumacher recently suggested that Horner would replace Briatore \u2018at the top\u2019<\/a>. He would be the \u2018technically skilled\u2019 leader that Alpine need.<\/p>\n If he wants to slot into the hierarchy above Briatore, Horner will have to invest \u00a3298m into Alpine<\/a>. He doesn\u2019t have those funds himself, so would need wealthy backers. <\/p>\n Horner wants sufficient \u2018control\u2019 of any team he joins<\/a>; indeed, this was one of the issues that led to his Red Bull sacking. One can envisage a potential power struggle between the Briton and Briatore in the current Alpine structure.<\/p>\n One solution would be for Briatore to step aside, but as Pierre Gasly<\/a> made clear in an interview with formula.hu<\/a>, he has no plans to do so. Alpine may be last in the constructors\u2019, but he\u2019s determined to restore them \u2018to the top\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are teams that want to do it [win], but the reality is that they are always stuck in the middle of the pack,\u201d said Gasly. \u201cFlavio has no limits, the sky is the limit. <\/p>\n \u201cHe is really committed to F1 and his goal is to bring Enstone back to the top, as he did in the past. Obviously, things have changed a lot since then, but he is very aware of that. He wants to achieve his goal and he is putting in the work to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n Christian Horner\u2019s Red Bull settlement emerges as exit now official<\/p>\n Horner has only just finalised his departure from Red Bull<\/a>, as official documents show. The ownership relieved him of team principal duties but had to negotiate a pay-off because his contract ran until 2030. <\/p>\n He will reportedly receive a \u2018high double-digit million-dollar\u2019 sum. Perhaps some of that money could go towards the mooted Alpine<\/a> offer.<\/p>\n Wherever he ends up, there\u2019s a possibility that he brings a contingent of staff with him from Red Bull. Multiple reports have indicated that there\u2019s an enduring loyalty to the 51-year-old in some quarters.<\/p>\n