Alpine sign former team principal as advisor

Flavio Briatore has returned to F1 with the organisation he left 15 years ago.

RacingNews365 understood this to be the case, and the news has now been confirmed by Alpine.

Alpine staff were apparently informed of the move at their bases in Enstone and Viry on Thursday evening.

The 74-year-old has been appointed by Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo as his executive advisor for the Formula 1 division.

According to the team, Briatore will: "predominantly focus on top level areas of the team including: scouting top talents and providing insights on the driver market, challenging the existing project by assessing the current structure and advising on some strategic matters within the sport."

The flamboyant Italian was previously team boss at Benetton and Renault, guiding the outfit to titles with drivers Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso.

Schumacher won his first two drivers' titles in 1994 and 1995, whilst Benetton was crowned constructors' champions in the latter year. In 2005 and 2006, Alonso and Renault won the drivers' and constructors' crowns. 

Briatore's reign, however, ended in controversy when the 74-year-old was forced to step down over his involvement in the 'Crashgate' saga in which Nelson Piquet Jr. deliberately crashed during the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix to help team-mate Alonso to victory.

Briatore was initially handed an indefinite suspension from FIA-sanctioned events by motorsport's world governing body, a decision that was overturned by an independent French tribunal in early 2010.

The decision to bring in Briatore by Alpine comes in a week when news emerged Renault is considering withdrawing as power unit supplier, and that talks have taken place with other manufacturers.