Flavio Briatore is back in F1 after taking over at Alpine, and the Italian has certainly lived a colourful life away from the grid with supermodel exes and a failed attempt at football ownership
Flavio Briatore is back, injecting his trademark vibrancy into Formula 1, with the Italian maverick stepping up as de facto team principal of the struggling Alpine.
The 75-year-old’s F1 journey began at the 1988 Australian Grand Prix, which sparked in him a fiery passion for the sport that is still present to this day.
Soon after, the business tycoon landed the role of commercial director at Benetton. There, his leadership saw him sign a young Michael Schumacher to the team, setting the stage for a golden era as managing director.
Briatore continued his leading role even when Renault took over the Benetton Formula team in 2000, discovering Fernando Alonso and guiding the team to both the Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championship in 2005 and 2006. However, his reign came crashing down in 2008 following the infamous Crashgate scandal.
The controversy involved Briatore, Renault’s chief engineer Pat Symonds, and driver Nelson Piquet Jr, who claimed he was instructed to deliberately crash at that year’s Singapore Grand Prix to give Alonso an edge in the title race.
Despite Briatore and Symonds both denying the allegations, Renault didn’t dispute them. And after an FIA hearing, both men left the team. Initially slapped with a lifetime ban from all FIA events, Briatore fought back in a French court, successfully overturning the decision in 2009.
In 2024, Renault executive Luca de Meo invited him back to the sport as an adviser. And now, with team principal Oliver Oakes stepping down, Briatore is back in the team principal seat with Alpine Renault, who have only managed seven points so far this campaign.
We now delve into the flamboyant and extravagant life of the Italian off the track, including his marriages to supermodels, his child with Heidi Klum, and his unsuccessful stint as a football club owner.
Daughter with Heidi Klum
Briatore’s first high-profile romance was in the late 90s when he and supermodel Naomi Campbell became an item. The couple got engaged in 1998, but after a tumultuous few years, they called it quits in 2003.
That same year, another supermodel, German-American Klum, started dating the Italian, and after a whirlwind few months, they made their relationship public. By autumn 2003, Klum was expecting their daughter Helene, affectionately known as ‘Leni,’ who was born in 2004.
However, Briatore and Klum parted ways while she was pregnant. She later found love with singer Seal, and the pair had three children together after tying the knot in 2005. Briatore’s daughter, Leni, was legally adopted by Seal in 2009.
“The three of us calmly agreed that it made the most sense that he adopt her, because a child needs to grow up in a family,” Briatore explained to Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera in 2016. Seal and Klum separated in 2012, with the divorce finalised in 2014.
Wonderbra model wife
Following his relationships with Campbell and Klum, Briatore married ‘Wonderbra’ sensation Elisabetta Gregoraci, and two years later, they were delighted to welcome their son Falco to the world.
Despite divorcing after nearly a decade together in late 2017/early 2018, it is reported that the former flames still share an amicable relationship.
The Italian tycoon became infamous for his documented romantic escapades during the early 2000s. Speaking to Vogue in 2005, he said: “I never count, it’s not right.
“I believe every time you go out with somebody you go out because you are looking for something. Always the intention is good. If it’s not successful, maybe it’s destiny.”
Queens Park Rangers failure
Briatore enjoyed less success in the world of football than in F1. In 2007, after an unsuccessful bid for Chelsea, he and Bernie Ecclestone took over Queens Park Rangers. With billionaire Lakshmi Mittal by their side, the new owners aimed for promotion to the Premier League.
Yet, Briatore’s first season as chairman ended with the team finishing 14th in the Championship, marred by his controversial involvement in managerial decisions.
Following the reversal of Briatore’s F1 ban, the Football League sought details of the FIA’s investigation. The league could have potentially ousted the Italian from QPR under the ‘fit and proper person’ requirements introduced in 2004, giving the league the authority to remove any owners who had been banned from other sporting organisations.
The Football League deliberated on the issue in 2009 and put forth questions to Briatore. He resigned from his role in 2010 and sold most of his stake in the club. QPR were promoted to the top flight in April 2011.
