Hi friends
Summer has finally come to Denmark. We have a saying here: “Summer is the nicest weekend all year”. So I’m going to enjoy it by sitting inside, watching the Austrian GP.
Top story of the week: Alpine have announced Flavio Briatore as Executive Advisor for the Formula One Division
This is the fourth time in five weeks, that Alpine have made the top story. First with the rumours that Briatore could return. Then Ocon announced his departure. Last week rumours that Renault would abandon their engine project. And now we have confirmation that Briatore is back in a leadership position with Alpine.
Why is this important? Briatore is a controversial figure to say the least. He was convicted of multiple counts of fraud in the 1980s, resulting in two prison sentences. To avoid going to prison, Briatore fled Italy for the Virgin Islands, and only returned to the EU after he was granted amnesty. And when he was Team Principal of Renault, he was involved in the Spygate controversy in 2007, and he played a key role in orchestrating the infamous Crashgate controversy in 2008, which resulted in him being fired from Renault and receiving a lifetime ban by the FIA – a ban which was later overturned by a French court, and a settlement agreed between Briatore and the FIA, which “only” saw him banned for a number of years.
Despite Briatore stating he would never return to F1, here he is – Back with the same team where he so flagrantly manipulated the championship in the past. To quote Edd Straw of The Race: “Briatore’s return erodes the final bit of Renault’s F1 credibility”. Incidentally, none of the official F1 channels or F1 TV commentators even mentioned Crashgate during the Spanish GP – and the official F1 website refers to him “vacating his position in 2009 and taking some more time out of F1”. That’s definitely not how I’d put it.
The rest of the stories this week:
- Helmut Marko: “We have to put a young driver in [VCARB] soon. That would be Liam Lawson”
- Haas expected to announce Ollie Bearman ahead of British GP
- Alpine has joined the bidding for Carlos Sainz’s services in 2025
- Verstappen facing engine penalty after having already taken his fourth and final engine of the season in Spain
- Pierre Gasly signs a new multi-year contract with Alpine
- Lance Stroll signs a new multi-year contract with Aston Martin
- Max Verstappen confirms that he’ll be staying with Red Bull for 2025
- Enrico Cardile, Technical Director at Ferrari, is set to move to Aston Martin from September, will be replaced by Loic Serra
- Sauber is working to find a new INDYCAR seat for their junior driver Theo Pourchaire, after he was released by Arrow McLaren
- Mick Schumacher and Jack Doohan will test the 2022 Alpine A522 at Paul Ricard
- The full 2026 F1 Technical Regulations have been published
- Gene Haas will retain one charter in NASCAR, racing as Haas Factory Team
- Sébastien Ogier and Vincent Landais were in an accident during reconnaissance for Rally Poland, and will miss the race
And remember: Brawn GP won every F1 championship they ever entered, so we can all put the GOAT team debate to rest.
If you have any feedback, suggestions or questions, send me a message on Twitter or via Buymeacoffee.
That’s it for this week. Until next time, thank you for being here.
