Briatore reportedly 'serious' after contracting Covid-19

Former Benetton and Renault Formula 1 team boss Flavio Briatore is currently being treated in a Milan hospital for the coronavirus.

The condition of the 70-year-old is reported as 'serious' by La Repubblica's L'Espresso website, although it is understood he has not been admitted to the intensive care unit at the San Raffaele hospital despite apparently displaying symptoms of pneumonia.

Briatore's situation comes just over a week after he criticised authorities for closing his nightclub and restaurant 'Billionaire' in Porto Cervo, Sardinia, following an outbreak of Covid-19, with 52 members of staff so far testing positive.

It is known Briatore also played in a celebrity football match at the Cala di Volpe hotel in Porto Cervo on August 15, since when former Serbia international footballer and current Bologna manager Sinisa Mihajlovic has contracted coronavirus.

Briatore first became involved in F1 in 1988 with Benetton, initially as commercial director before taking on the roles of managing director and team boss. Under his stewardship, Michael Schumacher won the first two of his seven world titles in 1994 and 1995.

After being replaced at Benetton in 1997, Briatore was then in charge of engine supplier Supertec before returning as managing director and team boss of Renault in 2001 following its return to F1 after its purchase of Benetton.

Fernando Alonso won his two world titles with the team in 2005 and 2006 before Briatore resigned from Renault in 2009 for his involvement in the 'crashgate' scandal of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.

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