Renault Boss Down Playing Constructors Title, Team Wants Driver's Title
Flavio Briatore says the drivers' championship is the only formula one prize worth winning.
Although some team heads, like Ron Dennis or Frank Williams, covet the constructors' world championship with more passion, Briatore - their counterpart at Renault - reckons the drivers' crown is best because people remember it.
''You remember Schumi winning, you never remember someone else winning the constructors' championship,'' 'Flav' said.
''The drivers' championship is the only one.''
At any rate, Briatore knows what winning feels like. If his protégé Fernando Alonso wraps up the '05 title, it will be the second team - the first being Benetton and Michael Schumacher - Flavio has taken to the throne. ''I haven't won a second anything yet,'' the Italian clarified at Spa.
''With Benetton it was unique. The budget we had, beating Ferrari and Williams at the time, was really magic.'' To this day, Briatore insists that similarly Enstone based Renault's budget is perhaps only the fourth or fifth biggest in the grand prix pitlane.
At 24, Spain's Alonso would become the youngest ever champion. ''Fernando is cool,'' Briatore went on to say.
''We know that at the moment McLaren is the quickest, so our job is to finish. But I am not complaining about that.''