The entrepreneur and Alpine F1 chief reflects on a career spanning motorsport, hospitality and global luxury, and explains how he continues to shape the worlds of sport and entertainment.
How to summarise Flavio Briatore’s raison d’être in a handful of words? His life calling is probably best described as orchestrating spectacle. Born in Verzuolo, Piedmont, in 1950, to a pair of schoolteachers, he worked as a ski instructor and restaurant manager before rising to international prominence—initially as a key figure for Benetton, where he oversaw the expansion of some 800 stores across the United States in the 1980s and became a driving force behind the brand’s global footprint.
His razor-sharp business instincts soon propelled him into motorsport, and he became the team principal of the Benetton Formula 1 team from 1989 to 1997, and of the Renault team from 2000 to 2009. Under his leadership, his squads secured multiple World Championships, including drivers’ titles with Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso and constructors’ titles for the teams he ran. Flavio returned full time to Formula 1 in 2024, to head Renault’s Alpine Formula 1 Team.
In the late 1990s, Briatore began to channel his flair for high-end entertainment into hospitality, launching the Billionaire brand in Porto Cervo—an entertainment and nightlife concept that became a centre of gravity for the global jet set. Over the years, his hospitality portfolio has expanded to include brands Crazy Pizza and Twiga, high-fashion label Billionaire Italian Couture and Kenyan retreat Lion in the Sun (which gave birth to another outpost, an open-fire fine dining restaurant of the same name at the Mandarin Oriental Downtown Dubai, opened in late 2025).
These days, beyond the racetrack and the red carpet, Briatore’s life remains testament to the art of luxury living—from commanding beach clubs and nightspots around the world to cruising the Mediterranean aboard his well-known yacht, while constantly reinventing what it means to blend elite sport, culture and leisure.
How do you start your day?
If I am not travelling for Formula 1, I start with a gym session or a long walk—locals may well have seen me strolling all the way to Larvotto and the easternmost regions of the Principality. On the way back, I stop at Cova Plage for coffee or La Rose de Vents for a healthy breakfast. Its peaceful atmosphere in the mornings offers perfect preparation for the day ahead.
What items do you keep on your desk?
Very few things—I like a clean desk and it’s amazing how much you can do these days with so little. I only have my iPad and of course my phone, which I use a lot for business calls, while my iPad is for video meetings.
What else do you need? How do you switch off?
I’m lucky enough not to really need to ‘switch off’. I have fun in my job, and I do it with passion—whether it’s Formula 1, my main focus these days, or my restaurant business. I’m lucky that I enjoy what I do. I am not stressed out from work. That said sometimes, for two or three weeks, I go to Malindi, my home away from home in Africa. That’s the place and time where I have a true break from my routine.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Never dwell on the success of today: try and always do better tomorrow. It’s a great mantra that has been leading me in everything that I have achieved so far.
Do you have a favourite city and why?
I love Dubai: for its climate, for its energy. In business there is a lot of competition, especially in hospitality and entertainment, but the city is always growing and bustling and new projects are always welcome and supported by the local authorities. In fact, I have just relaunched the Billionaire Dinner Show and a new restaurant, Lion in the Sun, both on top of the Mandarin Oriental Downtown: one of the best locations in the city.
What’s your definition of success?
Being able to create and conduct business models, and make them profitable and sustainable. Growing wealth and well-being for the people who work for me and my enterprises is a constant source of pride and motivation. My seven world championships in Formula 1 have given me a wonderful sense of success: something which I wish to repeat with Alpine F1.
What’s your definition of luxury?
I am not emotionally attached to tangible luxury items. For me, luxury is the freedom to do what I like and enjoy. Receiving the best service every time I’m in a hospitality environment and also having the best health care in the world are huge privileges. For me, luxury is also having quality time with my son Falco.
How much do you trust your gut instincts?
Immensely. Human intuition is a very powerful tool in life.
Where do you get your clothes?
I am not someone who sticks to any particular brand, but I like clothes that are light, fit me comfortably and are of great quality of course. Which is why I love Brioni for its bespoke suits. The fabric quality is incredible for drape and handling, and the garments age beautifully and mould to your body over time.
What items do you like to collect?
I don’t see myself as a collector. In the past I used to like collecting watches but these days I rarely wear a watch, but if I do it’s usually an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak.
What have you done recently for the first time?
After the Grand Prix weekend, I attended an Aussie Rules football match in Melbourne, which had a completely different vibe and energy to F1.
What’s particularly special about the Monaco Grand Prix?
It’s the quintessential Grand Prix, with its history and glamorous setting, for its iconic track and exciting atmosphere, which is felt throughout Monaco for weeks before the event. For the teams, however, it’s particularly complex in terms of logistics and hospitality, but it’s all well worth it because nothing can compare to the allure and attraction of the Monaco GP.
