Flavio Briatore on his past and present…

      In an interview with Corriere della Sera, Flavio Briatore talked about life and his attitude towards it.…

      Question: Flavio, what were you like as a child?Flavio Briatore: I have nothing to remember. I lived in the tiny village of Montaldo di Mondovi and always felt that I was a little unlucky to be born there. There was nothing there, just snow.

      Question: Your parents were teachers... Flavio Briatore: Yes, and I was one of their students. I studied with my mother in the first, second, and third grades, and everything went well. My father has fourth and fifth grades, and he left me for the second year.

      I think he did it for educational purposes. I was one of the bullies: we were late for lessons, played when we shouldn't have, shouted, skipped. That sort of thing.

      Question: What is the most significant gift you have given to your parents?Flavio Briatore: Unfortunately, my mother died when I was 43 years old. I think the biggest gift for them was my independence, which I gained immediately after completing my studies as a surveyor. I even made up for the time I lost when my father left me for the second year, having studied two years in one.

      Q: Is it true that you took bets on the Giro d'Italia when you were eight years old?Flavio Briatore: I was kind of a bookie. There was one guy who went to watch some stages. Then he called me at the village bar—we didn't have a phone at home—and informed me of the results. With this information, I returned to school and persuaded classmates to place bets.

      Question: Which mistake taught you the most?Flavio Briatore: Mistakes are inevitable — if you do something, you will make them. The main thing is to quickly adjust your course, not allowing pride to keep you on the wrong path.

      Q: Is that why you replaced Jack Duane with Franco Colapinto in Alpine F1?Flavio Briatore: Exactly. This is a good example. Once in the past, I decided to put a very young Fernando Alonso, who was just a test driver, behind the wheel instead of the experienced Jenson Button. This decision provoked the fury of the British press, but in the end I was right. A manager is always alone when making important decisions.

      Question: Have you lived in Monaco for almost 15 years because there are no taxes?Flavio Briatore: I am registered in the register of Italian taxpayers. I lived in New York for 15 years, working for Benetton. Then, when my career in Formula 1 started, I moved to England and lived there for another 20 years. I haven't had a bank account in Italy since the 1980s.

      I don't live in Monaco to avoid taxes — I've built a business there. And for businesses, they choose countries that offer greater tax protection. That is why we are present in Dubai, Riyadh and Spain.

      We have also invested in Italy. But it's like the story of Janik Sinner: instead of praising this incredible Italian tennis player, people only talk about the fact that he lives in Monaco.

      Question: Your taxes and Sinner's taxes could help finance social security... Flavio Briatore: Italy has never helped me. This is a country of hypocrites.

      Question: But when you got sick, you returned to Italy for treatment... Flavio Briatore: That's right, because we have the best doctors in the world. But I paid for everything out of my pocket.

      Q: Who do you consider to be the best racer of all time?Flavio Briatore: I won't say about all the times, but in my time it was Schumacher, Senna, Alonso... Max Verstappen is number one right now.

      Q: Which of the drivers would you like to see in the Alpine F1 team?Flavio Briatore: Two Verstappens, because I have two cars.

      Q: Have you ever visited Schumacher after his injury?Flavio Briatore: No. When I close my eyes, I still see him smiling after his victory, and I prefer to remember him like this rather than lying in bed. But I talk to Corinna regularly.

      Question: Your teams have seven titles, which one has brought you the most satisfaction?Flavio Briatore: The first one with Schumacher, in 1994. The Federation was against us. Ferrari and McLaren didn't like that they were beaten by a 19-year—old guy and a team whose owners produce T-shirts - not to mention me: a tanned guy with long hair who wasn't an engineer. I wasn't even a fan at the time — I saw my first Grand Prix in Australia, where Benetton brought me.

      Q: Do you communicate with Pique Jr.?Flavio Briatore: No, I'm not interested. I didn't talk to him even when he was on my team.

      Q: He said that you asked him to crash a car in Singapore to help Alonso... Flavio Briatore.: We have never spoken, and in fact the French court overturned the ban imposed by the FIA and awarded me compensation. It's funny that the president who disqualified me is Max Mosley, the same one who disqualified Schumacher.

      I left tired. I won everything, I brought new riders. It was no longer a business that fascinated me — it became just another job, and in such a situation I cease to be effective. Besides, my son Falco was about to be born, and I wanted to be with my wife.

      Question: Elisabetta Gregorachi recently told me that when you were sleeping, she took your finger to unlock your phone and check it... Flavio Briatore: When I'm sleeping, I can have open-heart surgery and I won't feel anything! She is the mother of Falco, the most important person in my life. We did a good thing by putting him first when we broke up.: We are no longer a couple, but we will never stop being his parents and supporting each other.

      Q: Your fastest growing brand is Crazy Pizza. What kind of pizza do you like?Flavio Briatore: "Margarita", of course — I'm a normal guy. At Crazy Pizza, it costs 18 euros and is made with buffalo milk mozzarella.

      When people complain about my prices, it's just free advertising for me. In Naples, pizza has a certain price, but when Neapolitans open a pizzeria in Milan, they adjust the prices according to local rents and the cost of ingredients. Besides, my establishments are not just pizzerias, I sell impressions.

      Question: Are you afraid of getting old?Flavio Briatore: Of course. I think everyone is afraid. I want to live as long as possible to be with my son, with Falco. The real tragedy of passing time is that we only feel it when we see others getting old.

      Q: Is that why you had a facelift?Flavio Briatore: I haven't had a facelift — maybe I will in a couple of years. But I'm not shy about saying that I had surgery ten years ago to get rid of my second chin.

      Q: What success are you most proud of?Flavio Briatore: If you have won seven Formula 1 world championships, then you are worth something. After the first victory, I spent six minutes alone in the motorhome while the journalists were shouting outside. And I kept repeating to myself: You just won the world Championship!

      Question: Who is your greatest love?Flavio Briatore: Definitely Elisabetta Gregorachi. But I also had another strong relationship, with Heidi Klum, with whom I have a daughter, Leni. I see her a lot.: She and Falco love each other very much.

      Question: There was also Naomi Campbell... Flavio Briatore: Yes, there is a lot of talk about this relationship. We take care of each other and still keep in touch.

      Question: Thanks to her, you met Nelson Mandela.Flavio Briatore: He was like a father to her. When we first visited him in South Africa, he was waiting for us, sitting on one of those plastic chairs they put in ice cream parlors, and when he got up to greet us, I was struck by his blue eyes. You always felt at ease with him.

      Through Formula 1, we organized a major charity event in Spain: Fashion for Relief. Of all the people I've met, he made the biggest impression on me.

      Question: Who are you most grateful to?Flavio Briatore: Of course, Luciano Benetton. I consider him to be a kind of family member. I'm not saying that I would have stayed in my small town without him, but I would definitely have been doing something else.

      I am also grateful to Stefano Domenicali, who helped me return to Formula 1. He is an outstanding manager, I talk to him every day, I always learn something from him and I hope that I can give him something too.

      Question: Do you regret anything?Flavio Briatore: No, everything that happened to me helped me write my story.

      Question: Even a suspended sentence of 23 years for fraud?Flavio Briatore: In any case, there was an amnesty. And because I wanted to compensate everyone I had deceived, I was rehabilitated by the Turin court. If it was something serious, do you think Benetton would have decided to invest in me?

      Q: How many credit cards do you have?Flavio Briatore: I have no idea.

      Q: Do you have a driver's license?Flavio Briatore: Yes, but I only drive in Kenya.

      Q: Do you watch Italian news programs?Flavio Briatore: Yes, and I switch it on almost immediately, because there is nothing in the news and in the newspapers except senseless arguments. No one is interested in the younger generation. We are a wonderful country with great potential, but unfortunately our politicians do not match this potential.