Formula One has been hit by its latest off-track love drama with reports suggesting Alpine’s special adviser, and former QPR owner, has rekindled a romance with his ex-wife, who is 30 years his junior.
Flavio Briatore spent two decades as a team principal for Renault and Benetton, before resigning in 2009 following his involvement in race fixing for the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.
After being banned from FIA sanctioned events, Briatore sued the governing body in the French courts and was successful in January 2010, receiving €15,000 compensation. The two parties subsequently reached an out-of-court settlement.
Despite being openly critical of the state of the sport in the mid-2010s, Briatore later returned to Renault, now racing as Alpine, following the appointment of the team’s CEO Luca de Meo as special advisor.
Now, the rumors from the Italian media dagiospa and La Gazzetta dello Sport They have suggested that Briatore may have rekindled his relationship with his ex-model wife Elisabetta Gregoraci.
Flavio Briatore (right) has returned to Formula One as special advisor to the French Alpine team
Reports from Italy have suggested that Briatore and his ex-wife Elisabetta Gregoraci (second right) may have rekindled their romance (Also pictured, Nathan Fiatore (front left) Heidi Klum (back left, Leni Klum (second to the left)
Model Gregoraci and Briatore were married for nine years and have a son together, but they separated in 2017.
It could prove to be the latest romantic drama to emerge from the sport, after it was revealed that British teenage Formula One star Oliver Bearman was involved in a love triangle with one of his fellow drivers, amid accusations that he had separated from his girlfriend Estelle. Ogilvy.
Bearman shot to fame earlier this year when he became the youngest Briton to compete in an F1 Grand Prix, aged 18.
The teenager had finished seventh in his debut at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, after being called up by Ferrari to replace Carlos Sainz when the Spaniard was diagnosed with appendicitis.
According the sunBearman and Ogilvy, 19, have since split and the aspiring model has reportedly started dating another rising F1 star.
It is claimed that Ogilvy, a law student, is now dating Franco Colapinto.
The 21-year-old Argentine has driven three times for Williams to date, finishing 12th on his debut at the Italian Grand Prix.
Colapinto, who replaced Logan Sargeant until the end of the season, has since finished eighth and 11th.
It is understood that the Argentinian previously dated Ogilvy, before the relationship ended and she began dating Bearman.
It is now claimed that the romance was rekindled after Ogilvy and Bearman split in July.
Suggestions that the romance was back came after Ogilvy refollowed Colapinto on Instagram following her split from Bearman.
British teen sensation Oliver Bearman is reportedly involved in an F1 love triangle
Bearman, 19, reportedly split from his influencer girlfriend Estelle Ogilvy in July.
Ogilvy is now reportedly dating 21-year-old Argentine Williams driver Franco Colapinto.
Briatore and Gregoraci are believed to have first fallen in love about 18 years ago, in 2006, before marrying two years later.
They had a son, Nathan, in 2010, but seven years later they announced their separation, apparently ending their romance.
While Briatore had frequently fanned the flames by hinting at flirtations between the recently separated couple, according to Italian reports, the couple remained estranged.
Gregoraci had since been linked to Florentine businessman Giulio Fratini, although La Gazzetta suggests that judging by social media, their relationship may be on the decline.
Fratini posted a photo of the couple in February 2023, but that’s the most recent snapshot of them on any of his Instagram timelines.
Briatore, meanwhile, posted a photo of himself, Gregoraci and son Nathan, Klum and daughter Leni, with the caption: “Family selfie at the Monaco GP.” Gregoraci appears frequently in his timeline.
Of course, not much can be read into this, as some prefer to keep their relationships out of the private eye, but there have been more hints.
In an interview on the Italian program Questione de Stile, Gregoraci joked about her ex-husband: ‘Are we separated? Not because I didn’t realize!’
Gregoraci had been romantically linked to Florentine businessman Giulio Fratini until recently.
In an interview with Questione de Stile, she joked that she and Briatore weren’t really separated because “I didn’t realize it.”
Naturally, the pair maintain a close relationship due to their son, and it is understood that they have done their best to maintain a strong sense of structure and closeness for Nathan’s sake.
This is believed to have included family dinners, birthdays and even holidays together with his son, and they both reside in Monte Carlo, not far from each other and are believed to regularly have dinner together.
However, La Gazzetta further reports that friends of the couple indicated that this closeness “goes beyond simple shared parenting.”
Briatore’s personal life has seen him fall in love with several high-profile names; He was engaged to Naomi Campbell in 1998 before separating in 2003, and that same year he began a relationship with another supermodel, Heidi Klum.
In fact, the two had a child together, although Briatore later allowed Klum’s partner Seal to officially adopt her daughter in 2009.
Earlier this year, Briatore announced that he had successfully undergone heart surgery to remove a benign tumor.
The 74-year-old Italian businessman made the announcement on instagramrevealing that the tumor had been detected during a routine checkup.
Briatore said he has since been cleared by doctors after the “perfectly successful” surgery, which saw the mass removed after a minimally invasive procedure.
“Today I want to talk to you about prevention,” Briatore said.
‘Ten days ago I went to the San Raffaele hospital for a check-up and at that time they found a benign tumor in my heart.
The former F1 boss has dated several famous women and was previously engaged to supermodel Naomi Campbell, centre.
The couple are believed to have maintained a close relationship since their separation for the benefit of their son (pictured in 2013).
They regularly go on vacation together and celebrate their son’s birthdays (pictured March 2024)
‘The doctors intervened immediately and I am here to tell you.
‘The main thing, guys, is to do prevention, check-ups, I do it every year.
‘I did it two years ago and I didn’t have this benign tumor and this year I did. We must not neglect ourselves, prevention is essential.”
Briatore was general manager of the Benetton Formula One team during the 1990s, when a young Michael Schumacher won two world titles with them.
