Flavio Briatore Stands Firm After Luca de Meo’s Departure from Renault
The recent departure of Luca de Meo from Renault will not alter the course of the Alpine Formula 1 team, according to Flavio Briatore, who currently manages the team. The announcement of De Meo’s departure came shortly after it was reported that he would take over the leadership of the luxury group Kering. Briatore, known for his successes at the head of the Benetton and Renault F1 teams, returned to Formula 1 a year ago as executive advisor to De Meo. Since Oliver Oakes’ resignation as director, Briatore has been in charge of the team. Briatore has denied being tasked with improving the team’s performance before its possible sale. Currently, Alpine is in the last position in the constructors’ standings.
Luca De Meo (left) leaves Renault, the parent company of Alpine.
When asked about the impact of De Meo’s departure on the team, after the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, Briatore replied: “Nothing, absolutely nothing”.Next season, Alpine will use Mercedes power units, following Renault’s decision to stop producing engines at its Viry-Chatillon factory, near Paris. Currently, Alpine is the only team using Renault power units. Among the team’s investors are Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds and NFL stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. In October last year, De Meo revealed that Renault was spending up to 250 million euros a year on engine production, while buying engines from another manufacturer would cost less than 20 million dollars.Nothing has changed for me. Neither for me nor for the team. And congratulations to Luca, for his new job.
Flavio Briatore
