Flavio Briatore has offered a somber reflection on the condition of his former star driver Michael Schumacher, who has not been seen publicly since suffering severe brain injuries in a 2013 skiing accident.
Briatore, who led Schumacher to his first two Formula 1 titles with Benetton in the mid-1990s, has previously admitted that he has chosen not to visit the seven-time world champion since the accident.
"If I close my eyes," he told Corriere della Sera, "I see him smiling after a victory.
"I prefer to remember him like that rather than him just lying on a bed. Corinna and I talk often, though," he added, referring to Schumacher's wife.
Now 75, Briatore returned to Formula 1 last year as Alpine's executive advisor. While not officially employed by Renault or listed as team principal, he represented the team during the official FIA press conference in Barcelona last Friday.
Briatore had been absent from the paddock for years after receiving a lifetime ban (later overturned) for his role in the infamous "Crashgate" scandal — when Nelson Piquet Jr. was ordered to crash intentionally at the 2008 Singapore GP to help teammate Fernando Alonso win.
"I have to say thank you to Stefano Domenicali, who allowed me to return to Formula 1," Briatore said.
Asked by Corriere della Sera to name the greatest F1 driver of all time, Briatore gave a measured response.
"I don't know who the greatest is, because we've had Schumacher, Senna, Alonso," he said.
"Now, the number one is definitely Max Verstappen. I have two cars at Alpine, so I would like to have two Verstappens."
