76 replies to this topic

[D1rtyHarry]

He's changed his face like a Mission Impossible agent.

[William Hunt]

Time to pull out THAT photo again (NSFW)

 

This one is weird too:
https://www.capitalp...PG111219-11.jpg

[Boxerevo]

This one is weird too:
https://www.capitalp...PG111219-11.jpg

 

 

This one is a classic too:

http://1.bp.blogspot...a Gregoraci.jpg

Edited by Boxerevo, 11 March 2022 - 03:38.

[Boxerevo]

Jezus, making Flavio an F1 ambassador. Are they insane? 

No, Very fit. He knows a bit about race fixing.

[Rodaknee]

No, Very fit. He knows a bit about race fixing.

Will his assistant be Michael Masi?

[New Britain]

Ron Dennis summed up Briatore brilliantly: 'I have never known of anyone who won so many motor races while knowing so little about motor racing.'

[RA2]

Ron Dennis summed up Briatore brilliantly: 'I have never known of anyone who won so many motor races while knowing so little about motor racing.'

 

Favio's idea of racing is more in tune with Indycar, less focus on car and more on racing. But I am sure he does not want a spec series, just not pumping money into it, so he would probably be in favor of BOP.

Edited by RA2, 11 March 2022 - 08:55.

[alframsey]

I think this is more evidence of F1 being a lifetime pay cheque for the boys from back in the day; they always find a way to keep them on the books don’t they, that lot.

[BRG]

Remember the words of Peter Collins on 'Beyond the grid' on Flavio: 'I don't like his business ethics':

 

That's why he is the ideal choice for someone to help Liberty bring in trackside and series sponsors. There are no ethics at that level of business. 

 

Your list of alternatives might be fine upright types but they would be rubbish at the task that Flavio is apparently going to fulfil.  Ron Dennis couldn't even find sponsors for McLaren so how would he manage?  And incidentally, Gordon Murray is the poster boy for narcissism.  Clever engineer, rather deficient human being.

[William Hunt]

Flavio bullied many of his drivers including Riccardo Patrese. He ridiculed Riccardo: 'you can't even beat a younger driver' (when Riccardo, who was just the nicest guy out there, was the team mate of Michael Schumacher in his final year).

 

Imho Flavio is a full blown sociopath. If you listen to what his former drivers tell about him, it is quite shocking. Just listen to the Beyond the Grid podcasts with Roberto Moreno and Alex Zanardi (when he was their test driver, Flavio simply threatened him if he signed for Jordan because he wanted to move Moreno over there and he lied to Zanardi that he would get a Benetton seat). 

 

Alex Wurz was threatened and bullied because he didn't sign a management contract with Flavio, same with Trulli. 
Before Trulli had that fallout with Flavio because he declined Flavio as his personal manager he was actually performing on at least the same level as Alonso (Trulli had even won at Monaco) afterwards his performance dropped as a result because of that fallout and Trulli's carreer didn't really recover after that. Alonso did sign to have Flavio as his manager. Wurz found himself out of F1 and still got a rare come back chance at Williams later after a long stint as McLaren test driver. 
It should have been completely forbidden for a team boss also to be a driver manager. When Bottas signed for Mercedes Wolff stopped beiing his personal manager because of conflict of interest but at Benetton Flavio tried to force drivers to sign a personal contract with him: it's corruption really and also very brutal since it's a case of your boss putting pressure on you and abusing his power.

Nelson Piquet Jr. was forced to crash his car and when it came out his F1 carreer was over. Flavio always ran 1 car teams really. He always only cared about 1 driver and bullied the other one. In particular when he had Michael Schumacher and later Fernando Alonso.

Ignoring Johnny Herbert after he won in Monza and eaven leaving the track before the podium was simply disgusting, in particular after all misery Johnny had gone through after his injury. It was a very popular victory in the paddock but Briatore didn't care because his first driver had not won.

Edited by William Hunt, 11 March 2022 - 12:01.

[grandmastashi]

Despite the crimes we know Briatore has committed, and the ones he has been acquitted off, I am convinced there are much worse ones hidden somewhere.

 

I wonder what will happen to his yacht. The one Bernie bought in a police auction.

https://www.monaco-t...d-of-tax-fraud/

 

He was one of the names in Jeffery Epstein's little black book, along with Bernie and Alejandro Agag... 

[MKSixer]

He was one of the names in Jeffery Epstein's little black book, along with Bernie and Alejandro Agag... 

The Flavio Hits just keep on coming.  How can anyone allow this sociopath ANYWHERE NEAR any legitimate business?  I forgot...This Is FORMULA ONE. (Said in the same voice and intonation of, "This IS SPARTA!!", by Gerard Butler in 300.)

[Augurk]

Astonishing how some organisations go out of their way to prevent becoming legitimately integer. 

This man shouldn't be allowed to touch F1 with a 10 mile long stick.

[Myrvold]

He was one of the names in Jeffery Epstein's little black book, along with Bernie and Alejandro Agag... 

 

However, does anyone believe that all names there were a part of that certain bit?

[grandmastashi]

However, does anyone believe that all names there were a part of that certain bit?

 

There's an old saying that you can judge the measure of man by the company he keeps. 

[Ross Stonefeld]

Rich people hang out together, shocker.

[kumo7]

So rich people are all alike.

[Fastcake]

Is there anything, you know, actually official about this yet?

 

Or has Flavio just bragged himself a paddock pass in Monaco?

[pRy]

He was one of the names in Jeffery Epstein's little black book, along with Bernie and Alejandro Agag...

 
Much is made of the book but it's Maxwell's contact book and she knew a lot of people.

[r4mses]

Really crazy that F1 would put a guy with multiple fraud and conspiracy convictions, who fixed a race into a position such as this.

The optics are not good.

 

I assume you missed the final laps of 2021? Flavio and F1 is a match made in heaven.

[RA2]

I think his job description is to bring the ho's and coke.

Edited by RA2, 15 March 2022 - 02:31.

[Nemo1965]

An interesting podcast with Roberto Moreno about Spa 1991 and the aftermath…

https://youtu.be/iUeKXxmAQIg

[Dalton007]

This video is a very good summary of his life in F1:

 

https://www.youtube....h?v=t1PnMIwQicE

 

 

[RekF1]

Time to pull out THAT photo again (NSFW)

I'd rather subscribe to my Nans onlyfans. Aka OnlyNans.

[YamahaV10]

The 1994 Benetton was IMO an illegal car but that hardly makes it different to many other teams using illegal cars. Ken Tyrrell and his water/lead ballast (which was introduced by Bernie in 1981 and quickly copied by all other cosworth teams) cheated just as much yet nobody mentions that....

In 2008, Renault allegedly told him that they would shut the team down if they didn't win a race that year.
The Renault board was unhappy with the lack of results after winning titles in 2005 and 2006.

Crashgate was the desperate action of a team principal trying to keep his team afloat. And ironically, Alonso won the next race on merit.

That doesn't excuse his actions but Flavio is hardly the only team principal to have crossed the line trying to keep the team going. I would have expected more sympathy for him in a racing forum filled with racing fans.

That's a very interesting counterpoint. It that was the case , then a high risk move like that was worth it.

[YamahaV10]

Flavio has to be the worst F1 team boss of all time from a human perspective.

He might be the sleazeist one. But there is stories about all of them in that era. They were all difficult.

Today's corruption and tax evasion is just more politically correct. 

Edited by jcbc3, 26 July 2023 - 07:44.
Let's not throw unsubstantiated slander around

[YamahaV10]

Rich people hang out together, shocker.

Jacques Villeneuve was on one of those lists too. Basically all the rich and famous