Briatore to make ‘a better show’ of Formula One

Flavio Briatore

Renault team boss, Flavio Briatore, is continuing to raise his political profile in Formula One after being put in charge of spicing up the sport. A new commercial deal to make races more entertaining should soon be in place and Briatore is set to play a key role.

"Flavio will be busy working with the commercial rights holder [Bernie Ecclestone] to improve the show of the sport, we hope we can find agreement with CVC [Ecclestone's organization] in the coming days," Ferrari's president and FOTA [The Formula One Teams Association] head, Luca di Montezemolo, said.

FOTA has already begun flexing its muscles after largely achieving its aims at Wednesday's FIA world motor sports council meeting in Paris, where the budget cap was dropped and Max Mosley, the FIA president, said he would retire in October. FOTA has called for a neutral successor to Mosley after months of discord and promised today to make additional savings after reaching an accord with the sport's ruling body.

"We would like to see someone independent, perhaps independent from any of us, either currently or historically," the FOTA vice-president, John Howett, said. "It would mean a much better balance."