Briatore won't return to F1 as a consultant

Flavio Briatore says that he has no interest in returning to Formula 1 as a consultant, after Italy's Sky Sport 24 suggested the possibility.

It's unclear why the Italian broadcaster made the assumption to start with as it's hard to imagine the flamboyant ex-F1 manager, who was banned at one time from the sport, blending in with Liberty Media's clean-cut executives.

"I cannot work for someone else, but anyway consultant is one of those words that means little to me," was Briatore's response to Sky Sport's suggestion.

While not interested in working in F1, the 66-year-old Briatore is never short of opinions on the sport however.

"I created FOTA to ensure that the drivers were again at the centre," he said of the now-defunct teams association.

"I was talking to (Stefano) Domenicali a few days ago. Those watching TV don't care if the engine can go to the moon or not. They want the drivers in cars that have more or less the same performance.

"I worked with Ross Brawn for eight years, when F1 was a sport for gladiators. It seems that he wants to abolish the moving rear wing (DRS), and I agree," said Briatore.

"We'll see if he can change things."

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But Briatore does see some bright spots with F1 today, and one of them is Max Verstappen.

"For what he did in Brazil (2016), it will be enough to give him a car that is a little better and he will win the championship. We didn't see things like this even from the young Senna," Briatore said.

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