Flavio Briatore creates box office gold on long-awaited FIA press conference return

It was pure gold! Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said as much.

For the first time in 16 years, Flavio Briatore was involved in an FIA team principals' press conference, and he took centre stage.

The 74-year-old, appointed 10 months ago to the role of executive advisor with Alpine, recently took on the duties of team principal following the resignation of Oliver Oakes for personal reasons. However, he opted against inheriting the title.

In his third race in his 'new' position, Briatore was summoned by the FIA to represent Alpine in the Friday session ahead of this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix, sitting alongside Horner and Pirelli director of motorsport, Mario Isola.

From his first question, Briatore was cantankerous. "It's been 12 months since you were announced as Alpine executive advisor. How do you feel that year has been for the team?" asked host Tom Clarkson.

"Good afternoon to everybody," replied Briatore. "Less than that. It's 10 months - I see my pay cheque. It's 10 months." Cue much laughter.

Throughout what followed, as has always been the way with the Italian, his answers veered away from the subject posed, whilst his English remained notoriously difficult to understand on occasion.

That was underlined when Briatore was asked whether he was going to sign Mick Schumacher for next season. Briatore's response was undecipherable, apart from stating in the end, "next question". Even Clarkson asked him to clarify, to which he replied he had "no answer to the question". 

At one stage, Briatore was asked whether he felt Pierre Gasly could become an F1 champion. The reply made little sense, at the end of which Briatore turned to Horner and said, "I don't know if Christian has a better idea."

Horner could not resist. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he said. Naturally, the assembled media were in stitches again.

"What I do want to say is how refreshing it is to have Flav back. He had a bit of time out, but it is so much fun. These press conferences were so boring before you came back."

When Briatore was asked about whether the two-stop strategy for Monaco was a good idea, his answer on this occasion could be plainly heard. "This was a very bad idea." No punches pulled there.

Briatore also suggested including the driver's salaries in the budget caps of the F1 teams. That is contentious as they have been excluded from the outset. Horner was not offered a right of reply on that one, given Max Verstappen is the most highly paid on the grid.

In the end, Horner pretty much summed it up with one of his lines on Briatore midway through. "My Italian is worse than Flavio's English!"

Regardless, welcome back Flavio. It sure was entertaining.