Murray Walker was immediately ‘suspicious’ of one Formula 1 team boss who’s still working today

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The departure of Christian Horner means Toto Wolff is now the longest-serving team principal in Formula 1. Wolff has been in charge of the Mercedes team since 2013, but even he isn’t the most experienced boss.

Many of F1’s team managers are fairly recent appointees. Indeed, McLaren’s Andrea Stella, who was only appointed at the end of 2022, is second to Wolff.

The only team without a designated team principal is Alpine. Steve Nielsen, who started last month, is the managing director.

Big-picture decisions at Enstone, such as driver line-up calls and the end of Renault’s works engine programme, are made by Flavio Briatore. The Italian veteran controversially returned to the paddock last year.

Murray Walker questioned Flavio Briatore’s Formula 1 credentials

Briatore, previously a businessman in the world of fashion, was appointed the commercial director of the Benetton F1 team in 1989. Two years later, he took full control.

According to Ted Kravitz, legendary F1 commentator Murray Walker was ‘suspicious’ of Briatore. He questioned whether there was anything in his CV to suggest he was equipped for the job.

But after signing Michael Schumacher, Briatore led Benetton to consecutive titles in 1994 and ’95. Following Renault’s takeover, Fernando Alonso repeated that feat 2005 and ’06.

That prompted Walker to change his mind about the Italian, though Kravitz does note that he’d retired before the ‘crashgate’ scandal of 2008, for which Briatore was (temporarily, as it turned out) banned from F1.

• READ MORE: Flavio Briatore hits out at the ‘rubbish’ way the F1 media talk about ‘rottweiler’ Fernando Alonso

Kravitz writes in ‘F1 Insider: Notes from the Pit Lane’: “Murray was initially suspicious of Flavio Briatore, who had been appointed from the fashion world by the Benetton family to run their Formula 1 team. Murray questioned what someone who had never been to a Grand Prix could possibly know about running a team.

“As it turned out, Flavio’s work ethic and demonstrable success at Benetton, later Renault, eventually convinced Murray that the Italian’s intentions were for the greater good of F1, rather than just himself, although it was probably a good thing that he wasn’t commentating by the time of the Renault crashgate scandal of Singapore 2008. Murray would have thought that a very rum do.”

Flavio Briatore could be about to make Alpine F1’s pantomime villains

Briatore is determined to turn the Enstone-based Alpine team into winners again nearly 20 years after their last title. The deal to buy Mercedes engines is seen as a step towards that goal.

And in another marker of their ambition, Alpine could be Horner’s next destination. There’s talk that the former Red Bull boss may look to buy a stake in the operation.

A double-act with Briatore would be formidable but controversial. Horner made Red Bull F1’s pantomime villains during his tenure, and his close friend is one of the most divisive figures in the paddock, too.

But the 75-year-old would be willing to sacrifice some popularity if it meant turning the team around. Alpine are on course to finish bottom of this year’s constructors’ standings.