Flavio Briatore heads into this weekend’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix on the helm of the embattled Alpine group – however he isn’t group principal, an worker or perhaps a licence holder in Method 1.

Alpine’s former group principal, Briton Oliver Oakes, resigned on 6 Could, citing “private causes”.

Briatore, who’s employed on a consultancy foundation by dad or mum firm Renault, is “masking the duties beforehand carried out by Oakes”, Alpine has stated.

Nevertheless it has emerged he isn’t the individual chargeable for the group within the eyes of governing physique the FIA.

He can’t be – as a result of he isn’t a member of employees, and doesn’t maintain an F1 licence, as is required of individuals in such authority by the FIA’s competitor’s employees registration system.

Within the absence of a brand new group principal, racing director Dave Greenwood is the “devoted accountable individual”, an Alpine spokesperson stated.

Greenwood rejoined Alpine in January from Oakes’ HiTech organisation. He had beforehand been at Ferrari, Manor/Marussia, and Renault, the place he labored underneath Briatore.

Requested why Briatore just isn’t a employees member or licence holder, an Alpine spokesperson stated: “Flavio got here into the group as government adviser and stays a advisor. There’s nothing extra to it, or to learn into it.”

An FIA spokesperson stated: “Alpine have complied with all regulatory necessities referring to the departure of Mr Oakes, and have submitted their up to date employees registration.

“We consider it’s right down to Alpine to offer an replace on their administration construction so we won’t touch upon any particular individual holding a certificates of registration.”

Briatore stays the de facto boss of Alpine F1, with final authority underneath Renault Group chief government officer Luca de Meo.

The 75-year-old Italian was introduced in final summer time to show the group’s ailing fortunes round.

It was a controversial appointment.

Briatore led two earlier guises of this group to a complete of 4 world-title doubles – two as Benetton in 1994-95 with Michael Schumacher, and two as Renault in 2005-06 with Fernando Alonso.

However he’s infamous for his involvement within the so-called ‘crash-gate’ scandal, when Nelson Piquet Jr intentionally crashed his Renault in the course of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix as a part of a plan to benefit team-mate Alonso, who went on to win the race.

The plot didn’t change into public information till a 12 months later, when Briatore was given an indefinite ban from the game by the FIA.

This was overturned by a French courtroom in 2010, however Briatore had had no energetic involvement in F1 since, apart from as a behind-the-scenes managerial adviser to Alonso.