NOVEMBER 17, 2001

Briatore to stay at Renault for three more years

FLAVIO BRIATORE says that he is to remain in charge of the Renault Sport F1 team for the next three years. Briatore says that he had the agreement of Renault Sport chairman Patrick Faure.

"I have no intention of letting go," Briatore said, "I am an integral part of Renault. Having an Italian boss doesn't please everybody, I know, but even Ferrari has a French boss. I am their choice and today things are going very well."

Briatore's contract could, of course, be terminated if the French feeling strongly enough about it but Faure has long been a Briatore supporter and that does not look like changing for a while yet. Unless, of course, Faure leaves Renault.

Once he was considered as a potential replacement for the current chairman Louis Schweizer but that job looks increasingly likely to go to Carlos Ghosn, currently heading Nissan, when Schweitzer retires. Schweitzer will be 60 in July next year and will have been in charge of Renault for 10 years.

Renault will launch its new F1 program on January 27 in Paris.