Flavio Briatore: Formula 1 has become “the place to be”

Briatore’s view of Formula 1’s commercial revolution

Few figures have witnessed Formula 1’s transformation as closely as Flavio Briatore. The 76-year-old Italian businessman has experienced the championship through several distinct eras: guiding Benetton to title success with Michael Schumacher in the 1990s, leading Renault to further championships with Fernando Alonso in the 2000s, and now serving as an executive advisor to Alpine.

Speaking to RacingNews365 and other media during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, Briatore pointed to the visible changes around the championship, from upgraded venues to sustained crowds across the race weekend.

Briatore described the Hungaroring’s revamped paddock as the best currently available in Formula 1, praising the work completed at the circuit. But his wider point was about perception. Sponsors, teams and promoters now view Formula 1 as a central global platform, while the championship has also become more technically complex.

The attendance figures, he argued, provide the clearest evidence. Friday at the Hungaroring was full, while Thursday at Silverstone attracted 20,000 people — a marked contrast with the quieter event weekends of 15 years ago.

A younger, more American audience

Briatore also highlighted the changing profile of Formula 1’s fanbase. The average age of supporters has fallen dramatically, while the United States has become an important market where interest was once minimal.

He credited Liberty Media with changing the championship’s communication and commercial approach, describing Formula 1 as “a very healthy company.” That expansion has created a younger audience and strengthened the value of the series beyond the circuit itself.

The shift is particularly striking given Briatore’s own record. He oversaw Benetton’s rise to the world championship, including Schumacher’s consecutive drivers’ titles in 1994 and 1995, before leading Renault to drivers’ and constructors’ success with Alonso in 2005 and 2006.

From millions to billions

For Briatore, team valuations offer the sharpest measure of Formula 1’s commercial growth. When Benetton was sold to Renault in 2000, the operation was valued at approximately €120 million. Today, he says, Alpine is valued at around €1 billion, with some teams worth more.

“It has changed from millions to billions in a very quick time,” Briatore said.

That transformation sits alongside the ongoing performance demands at Alpine, where Gasly has called the team’s Zandvoort upgrades “critical”. Yet Briatore’s conclusion is broader: Formula 1’s greatest change has been commercial, cultural and global — and the championship now occupies a position few could have imagined when he first entered the paddock.