Flavio Briatore felt 122-win F1 team ‘copied’ the Benetton model instead of Mercedes and Ferrari

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Flavio Briatore is one of the most famous – and perhaps infamous – names in the world of Formula 1 with several titles and controversies surrounding his career.

The Italian brought title success to Michael Schumacher and Benetton in 1994 and 1995. He was also the key figure behind Fernando Alonso’s rise with Renault in 2005 and 2006, leading him to become the youngest double world champion up to that point.

Briatore was banned from F1 after the 2008 Crashgate scandal after he ordered Nelson Piquet Jr to deliberately crash at the Singapore Grand Prix to hand Alonso the win.

But the 74-year-old returned to the sport in 2024, going back to Enstone as the Executive Advisor for the team now known as Alpine. Already, Briatore has been key in bringing talent to the team including Jack Doohan and Franco Colapinto.

The Italian has spent the vast majority of his F1 career in Enstone, starting out the Benetton team in 1986 when they bought Toleman – the team where Ayrton Senna made his F1 debut.

The team was owned by the Benetton family, who run a worldwide chain of clothing stores. With no affiliation to motorsport or even motoring in general, not many would have expected the success the team would go on to have.

Flavio Briatore felt Red Bull ‘copied’ Benetton’s model when they joined F1

After a slow start, Benetton began to find performance and were regularly competing for top results, finishing third in the Constructors’ Championship four times between 1988-1993.

In 1991, Briatore convinced a young Schumacher to join the team from Jordan and three years later, the German grabbed his first of seven titles at the expense of Damon Hill.

Schumacher went back-to-back in 1995 in dominant fashion with nine wins as Benetton won their only constructors’ title. The German left the team for Ferrari the following year which began a downward trajectory, ending with Renault taking over the team in 2002.

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Benetton’s success was unexpected given their limited to no experience in racing beforehand – and this acted as inspiration for a future team according to Briatore.

Three years after Benetton left F1, Red Bull purchased Jaguar and joined the grid, with the Austrian energy drinks company also having no experience in motoring. Briatore felt that the team ‘copied’ Benetton’s model rather than looking at established teams like Ferrari and Mercedes – who at the time were McLaren’s partner and engine supplier.

“Red Bull copied us. Red Bull arrived in Formula 1 not in the mind to copy Mercedes or copy Ferrari. The model was Benetton,” he said via the Beyond The Grid podcast.

“And I helped Christian. I done the deal with Christian to have Renault in Red Bull because always, I liked the team.

“Because it was a little bit like us. So, we were a t-shirt maker, these people was making a product, a drink.”

Red Bull went on to win eight drivers’ and six constructors’ championships

Red Bull’s model was very similar to Benetton’s given their slow start to life in F1 as they languished in the midfield in their early years. But the team would go on to have much more success – which was equally as unexpected.

The Milton Keynes-based outfit won four drivers’ and constructors’ titles in a row with Sebastian Vettel between 2010-2013 in one of the most dominant runs in F1 history.

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The turbo hybrid era saw the team regress as Mercedes began their dominance with Lewis Hamiton. But come the 2020s, Red Bull were back in the championship picture with Max Verstappen – winning the title in controversial fashion in 2021.

The Dutchman has won the last four titles consecutively, breaking numerous records along the way. Verstappen has propelled himself to the third-winningest driver of all time, just 28 wins behind Schumacher.

Red Bull have won 122 races in their history so far and have eight drivers’ and six constructors’ championships to their name. The team will be looking to add to those numbers in 2025.