F1 Controversy: Damon Hill Voices Concerns Over Flavio Briatore’s Return Amidst Alpine’s Strategic Shake-Up

Concerns raised regarding Flavio Briatore's "underhanded tactics" – "I'm troubled by this."

"He clearly has no regard for norms or regulations."

Damon Hill has confessed, "I'm concerned about this," regarding Flavio Briatore's prominent comeback to Formula 1.

Flavio Briatore, previously banned for life from Formula 1 due to his involvement in the 2008 Crashgate scandal, has now been officially appointed as an advisor for the Alpine team.

The experienced and contentious figure in the paddock managed to lift his lifetime ban in 2010, but Hill still has doubts about his return.

"It's incredible. I simply can't understand it. It's completely perplexing to me," Hill remarked on Sky Sports during the F1 Spanish Grand Prix.

"I feel extremely let down. I tuned into the meeting with the team leaders, and they were essentially asking, 'why is this shocking to you?'"

"They mentioned that Flavio has a deep understanding of the sport and a remarkable track record of introducing innovative concepts."

"That's fine and all. But seriously? What will he contribute? I can't see it."

"Is this progressing? Although he is not young, that doesn't mean he shouldn't be involved. I'm confident he has many fascinating ideas."

"He might inspire the team to make bolder decisions than they normally would."

Karun Chandhok expressed his confusion, noting that the decision goes against the recent pattern where individuals with technical expertise are promoted to the role of team principal and create a team composed of technical professionals.

Ayao Komatsu, Andrea Stella, and James Vowles…

“It’s clear that Bruno Famin holds the position of team principal, not him.”

"The only explanation I can come up with is that Bruno has an engineering background. Perhaps they believed it was necessary to have someone with a business background and acumen to complement Bruno's expertise."

"In my opinion, that's the sole method by which their collaboration makes sense."

A key choice for Alpine will be deciding if they want to continue producing their own engines or switch to buying them from another supplier when the 2026 regulations come into effect.

"Perhaps they require someone like Flavio to make that decision on their behalf," Hill suggested.

"Completely avoid the complex issue of whether they are considered a Renault works team."

“He’s always excelled at that. I’d describe his approach as being rather carefree and unrestrained.”

"I am deliberately choosing that word. Clearly, he doesn't care about norms or regulations. That's the reason he faced issues."

"He seems to have a knack for understanding issues more easily than others."

“I am concerned about this. We don’t want to return to a situation where deceitful actions create a negative atmosphere.”

Chandhok remarked, "It's an unconventional option."

"Although he hasn't completely disappeared, he hasn't been part of a team for quite some time."

"He has been deeply involved in driver management and continues to oversee Fernando Alonso's career at Aston Martin."

"He has been engaged in the business aspects, including hospitality and similar areas…"

"He hasn't had hands-on experience in managing a team."

“There’s no denying Flav’s intelligence; he’s a smart individual.”

"A shrewd entrepreneur, a skilled player in this field."

"How he will integrate with Bruno Famin and the rest of the team's structure is the intriguing aspect."

"They are in a period of reconstruction but need to accelerate the process, in my opinion."

Alpine has faced a challenging season, underscored by the incident between drivers Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly in Monaco.

Ocon received a reprimand from his employers, and it has now been announced that he will leave Alpine once his contract concludes at the end of the current year.

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