Flavio Briatore, known for his , has returned to the hot seat as the de facto team principal of the struggling team. The 75-year-old's involvement in F1 began with his attendance at the 1988 which sparked a determined passion for the sport which has remained to this day.

Shortly after, he was appointed as the commercial director of , where he would go on to recruit a young and establish a successful dynasty as managing director. In 2000, took over Benetton, with Briatore continuing to lead. Under his guidance, they signed , who helped them secure both the Constructors' and Drivers' Championship in 2005 and 2006.

However, Briatore's tenure ended in 2008 following the infamous Crashgate scandal.

This controversy involved Briatore, chief Renault engineer Pat Symonds, and driver Nelson Piquet Jr, who claimed he was instructed to deliberately crash at the Singapore Grand Prix that year to aid Alonso in the title race.

Despite both Briatore and Symonds denying the allegations, Renault did not dispute them. Following an FIA hearing, both men left the team. Briatore initially received a lifetime ban from all FIA-sanctioned events, but successfully appealed the decision in a French court, resulting in the ban being lifted in 2009.

In 2024, Renault executive Luca de Meo invited him to return to the sport as an adviser. With team principal Oliver Oakes stepping down, Briatore is now back in the team principal seat with Alpine Renault, who have only mustered seven points so far this campaign.

Express Sport delves into the flamboyant and audacious life of the Italian away from the racing circuit, including his marriages to various supermodels, his child with Heidi Klum, and his unsuccessful venture into football club ownership.

Child with Heidi Klum

Briatore's first high-profile romance was in the late 1990s when he and supermodel Naomi Campbell became an item. In 1998, the couple got engaged, but after several years of an on-again-off-again relationship, they ended their love affair in 2003.

That same year, another supermodel, German-American Klum, started dating the Italian, and after a few whirlwind months, they made their relationship public.

By autumn 2003, Klum was pregnant with daughter Helene, affectionately known as 'Leni,' who was born in 2004.

However, Briatore and Klum parted ways while she was still pregnant. She later met and began a relationship with singer Seal, and the couple had three children together after tying the knot in 2005. Briatore's daughter, Leni, was legally adopted by Seal in 2009.

"The three of us calmly agreed that it made the most sense that he adopt her, because a child needs to grow up in a family," Briatore told Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera in 2016. Seal and Klum eventually separated in 2012, with the divorce finalised in 2014.

'Wonderbra' model wife

After his relationships with Campbell and Klum, Briatore wed 'Wonderbra' sensation Elisabetta Gregoraci, and two years on, they were overjoyed to welcome their son Falco to the world.

Despite divorcing after nearly a decade together in late 2017/early 2018, and it is reported the former flames still share a friendly rapport.

The Italian tycoon became infamous for his documented romantic escapades during the early 2000s, and opened up to Vogue in 2005, admitting: "I never count, it's not right.

"I believe every time you go out with somebody you go out because you are looking for something. Always the intention is good. If it's not successful, maybe it's destiny."

Queens Park Rangers stint

Turning to football, Briatore's stab at club ownership was marked by acquiring Queens Park Rangers in partnership with F1 bigwig Bernie Ecclestone - which came after an unsuccessful bid for Chelsea.

With billionaire Lakshmi Mittal by their side, the new owners aimed high for the Premier League but stumbled as QPR finished 14th in their first Championship season under Briatore's leadership, marred by his controversial involvement in managerial decisions.

Following Briatore's F1 ban, which was later overturned, the Football League asked the FIA to provide details of its investigation. The league could have potentially ousted the Italian from QPR under the 'fit and proper person' requirements introduced in 2004, giving the league the authority to remove any owners who had been banned from other sporting organisations.

In 2009, the Football League deliberated on the matter and posed questions to Briatore. He resigned from his position in 2010 and sold most of his shares in the club. QPR were promoted to the top flight in April 2011.