Flavio's fears F1 lacks stars

Briatore is not only seen in all the best places, he owns some of them. Once described as being among the world's dozen most eligible men, this son of two teachers from the Italian town of Verzuolo has a luxury estate in Kenya, a nightclub in Sardinia frequented by A-list celebrities, and a restaurant in London near his Chelsea penthouse.

Then there are the boys toys. In his huge office at Renault's Formula One base, an ultra-modern facility in the heart of the Oxfordshire countryside, models of two private jets sit on a coffee table and a picture of his luxury yacht hangs from a wall.

The temptation is to describe 54-year-old Briatore as the archetypal pit lane playboy. On the day we met he certainly looked the part with his perma-tan set off by those silver locks and a tight-fitting black shirt.

Yet to do so would be to do him a disservice, because if Briatore plays hard then he works even harder. He successfully launched the Benetton clothing brand in the United States in the 1980s and turned the Benetton grand prix team into world-title winners after harnessing the emerging talent of Schumacher in the early Nineties.

He is now charged with transforming Renault's status from one of contender to that of champion, a task that can keep him occupied 11 hours a day, seven days a week. It will be time well spent if his two drivers, speedy young Spaniard Fernando Alonso and experienced Italian Giancarlo Fisichella, carry their pre-season testing form on to the track in Melbourne.

Briatore believes it is vital teams such as his, McLaren, Williams, Toyota and BAR take the fight to Ferrari and Schumacher. "For the good of the spectator we need a better grid, a more unpredictable grid," he said.

He sighed when reminded that Max Mosley, president of motor racing's governing body the FIA, had castigated Ferrari's main rivals for doing a "rubbish job".

Briatore admitted: "Last year Ferrari were fantastic, the whole package of car, driver and tyres. But I believe we are closer now, and we know the key to beating Ferrari is to put pressure on them. They, and Michael, can make mistakes under pressure just like anybody else."

Briatore may be confident Renault can improve substantially on their solitary win in 2004. But he is worried about the state of Formula One in general, especially soaring costs and a reliance on cutting-edge technology.

"We need technology, but not for technology's sake," he said. "The spectators don't care if my gearbox is made from aluminium or titanium. What they do care about is seeing a real race.

"In 1994 when everybody was talking about the battle between Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill, our team ran on 60 per cent of the budget it has now. But back then we had better racing, we had a better show.

"As a sport we have become too clean, too clinical. We have become too much removed from the public. I remember the fun we had with Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Gerhard Berger. Now, unless some of the drivers are in their overalls, even I wouldn't recognise them."

Briatore bemoaned the loss to Formula One of charismatic Irishman Eddie Jordan, who sold his team to billionaire Alex Schnaider. And he revealed he himself may walk away when his contract with Renault ends this year.

"I believe in characters and personality," said Briatore. "Formula One needs stars."

Should he quit, will he miss the sport? Briatore said: "I am not sentimental when it comes to Formula One. It is a tough world. From the outside it is just cars racing on a Sunday and grid girls. In reality, you must be committed at every moment. I run an F1 team like any other business - the passionate side of F1 doesn't come into the equation when you are making decisions."

This much is certain, Formula One will miss Briatore.