The Italian fashion brand took over the Toleman team back in 1985 and secured no less than 3 championship titles (one in the constructors' race and two in the drivers' classification) in the mid-90s. Briatore was named team manager at Enstone in 1990 and stayed with the British outfit even after it was purchased by Renault a decade later.
However, when asked about the possibility of returning to F1 glory, Alessandro Benetton, the Italian Group's executive deputy chairman, insisted the thought has never crossed his mind. Although the FIA have made it easier for new entries to secure a place in the series – through a series of cost cutting measures – Benetton revealed his company has no plans to make a Formula One return.
“Formula one is a chapter that is absolutely closed (for Benetton) and unrepeatable. It was beautiful to win in a time when there was the opportunity to be competitive for those who are not automobile constructors,” said Benetton.
The team clinched its 3 world titles in Formula One while using Renault power plants (during the “Michael Schumacher era”). No less than 19 of the team's 27 F1 wins were clinched when using Renault engines, as the team had previously secured engine deals with BMW and Ford.
Although they are pushing very hard to set up a new set of rules for the next season – through their FOTA membership – the French manufacturer is believed to already be one step out of Formula One. According to several reports this week, it seems the marque's CEO Carlos Ghosn has already warned supplier teams that they are likely to pull the plug on their F1 operations from 2009 onwards.
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