20 March 2023 , 18:42
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Former Formula 1 team boss Flavio Briatore says he once turned down the opportunity to buy Serie A giants Napoli because of his focus on motorsport.
The Italian businessman was a major figure in F1 for two decades. But he is also a football fan and has been involved in club ownership before. He was part of the consortium which bought Queens Park Rangers in 2007 but stepped down as chairman less than three years later.
He later vowed to "never invest in a football club again", but it appears Briatore was at least tempted. Speaking to Italian radio broadcaster GR Parlamento, he confirmed that he once came very close to buying Napoli.
"It's true, but I am not regretting it," he said. "With football I tried in England with QPR but I also had F1 and I couldn't manage everything. F1 is an extraordinary commitment and I couldn't manage F1 and football.
"Football is great to watch on TV and in the stadium, when you are an owner, it is very difficult. [Aurelio] De Laurentiis has done a super job at Napoli – despite the lead the team still has an extraordinary hunger."
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That lead he was referring to is the one that Napoli have at the top of the Serie A table. Luciano Spalletti's side are 19 points clear of their closest challengers and look set to lift the title, while star attackers Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia have also helped them to the last eight of the Champions League.
Briatore also played a major role in Fernando Alonso's F1 career (Getty Images)Meanwhile, Briatore remains best known for his time in F1, which began when he was given the reigns at Benetton and tasked with making it into a winning team. He signed a promising young driver named Michael Schumacher and built up the team around him, leading to back-to-back titles in the mid-1990s.
After achieving that and spending a couple of years away, Briatore returned in 2000 when Benetton was bought by Renault. His eye for a talented young racer paid dividends again when he recruited Fernando Alonso to replace Jenson Button, and the Spaniard went on to win two championships with the team.
Briatore's record and reputation were marred by the 'crashgate' scandal. Nelson Piquet Jr alleged that he had been told by Renault to crash deliberately to help Alonso win the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. Briatore resigned from the team shortly after the FIA charged the team with race fixing.
He was initially banned from all FIA-sanctioned events but this was later overturned on appeal. Regardless, Briatore later vowed that he would never again return to F1.