Briatore reveals his ideal 'if I had the money' F1 driver line-up

Former team boss Flavio Briatore was no stranger back in the day to spotting and hiring the greatest talents on the grid, having guided Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso to multiple world championships.

But who would the flamboyant Italian choose as his star driver between Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, if he was still running an F1 team today?

"I would buy Verstappen," he said, speaking to Italy's RAI radio. "He is the best driver in Formula 1 and we saw that already last year,"

"He has more experience this year. He fought for the world title and already won. But if I had the money, I would have both."

After the first two rounds of the 2022 season, Verstappen and Leclerc have so far detached themselves from the pack, the pair entertaining fans with thrilling battles in Bahrain and in Saudi Arabia.

The tight competition, up and down the field, has clearly validated the sport's new regulations that now allow for closer and longer wheel-to-wheel fights. And Briatore is delighted with what he's seen so far.

• Read also: Verstappen an 'absolute nuisance' on Safety Car restarts - Palmer

"This Formula 1 is totally different and I think it’s good for everybody," said the former Benetton and Renault team boss.

"America is reinventing F1, for example the Miami race was sold out in three months.

"Last year we finished the World Championship with an incredible race, and this year we started with the Ferrari double and then with Saudi Arabia, one of the most beautiful races of the last period.

"It was a nice duel with two very good and very right drivers on the border, but they did it without controversy. It’s very good for F1 as a whole and for the audience.

"For me it was a great fight."

Taking stock of the front-runners' performances in the first two rounds of the season, Briatore believes Ferrari's drivers finally have a car worthy of their talent that can keep them among F1's top tier for the duration of this year's campaign.

"Ferrari has a car that can be competitive all year," he said. "But anything can happen in a championship fight. The important thing is that the car works well.

"They’re going to make it to the end and hopefully they’ll win. It will depend more on the drivers and the strategies."

And the 71-year-old is also convinced that it won't be long until Mercedes get a hold on its issues and joins Red Bull and Ferrari at the front.

"In two or three races Mercedes will also be in the fight." he said. "Hamilton fights, doesn’t give up and stays there as a great champion, I’m sure he’ll be back. Alonso is also doing well."

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