Briatore: Formula 1 is now Playstation for engineers

The former Renault chief Flavio Briatore has ruled out returning to Formula 1 for now, as he believes the sport has distanced itself from fans by becoming too technical.

Briatore was ousted amid the ‘crash-gate’ scandal some years ago, but his ban was lifted and the French carmaker is now returning as a full works constructor. So why isn’t Briatore also returning?

“I don’t miss it. I miss the old formula one,” he told Arabian Business.

The flamboyant Italian thinks that, if he had stayed in F1 beyond 2009, the sport would not have changed into its current, controversial guise.

“They (the FIA) weren’t happy because we (Renault) were too powerful at the time. But with that power, I promise you formula one would have stayed like it was before,” said Briatore.

He thinks F1 is now “Playstation for engineers. People forget the fans, forget the show. People don’t find it interesting”.

But there is hope, Briatore argued, as “I think sooner or later it will change, because like this it will go nowhere.”

Briatore was responsible for plucking Michael Schumacher from the Jordan team and relative obscurity, thus kick starting the German legend’s illustrious career in Formula 1. Fernando Alonso is also a Briatore protege, the pair remain good friends.

In the aftermath of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix crash-gate scandal Briatore left Formula 1, but still remains a figure on the periphery whose opinions of the sport continue to be sought by media.