Flavio Briatore compared to 'Second World War bomb' by former driver

Flavio Briatore has been likened to a World War II bomb by former Benetton driver Riccardo Patrese, who raced for the flamboyant Italian in 1993. The 71-year-old argued his former boss "won't help with a driver's morale" and can "explode at any minute", something he believes leaves current embattled Alpine driver Franco Colapinto in a precarious position. Patrese, also Italian, raced for Team Enstone during the final season of his F1 career, but spent the campaign in the shadow of Michael Schumacher, who went on to claim his first two F1 drivers' championships with the team in 1994 and 1995. Briatore returned to the team, now Alpine, last season and assumed de facto team principal responsibilities earlier this year after the unexpected departure of Oliver Oakes. He had already left his mark on the team, manoeuvring to bring in Colapinto from Williams over the winter, something that heaped pressure on Jack Doohan, who was ultimately sidelined for the Argentine after the Miami Grand Prix. Now, with the 22-year-old also underperforming, it is being increasingly speculated that a third driver could be placed in the seat alongside Pierre Gasly, or that Doohan may be granted a reprieve. To Patrese, nothing can be ruled out. "Anything can happen with Briatore," the six-time grand prix winner told Prime Casino . "From my point of view, Briatore is like a bomb that can explode at any minute; a Second World War bomb that you discover in some places around the world which goes off." When Colapinto was drafted in, Briatore told him to satisfy three main criteria: Be fast, score points, and don't crash. Whilst he has shown flashes of the pace that earned him plaudits throughout the paddock in his nine-grand prix stint with Williams last year, he has been inconsistent, had multiple incidents, and thus far failed to open his account for the campaign in six rounds. At the previous race, the British Grand Prix, his qualifying crash left him last on the grid, but he failed to make the start; it is rumoured he burned through a second clutch this season, despite the team confirming it was a driveline failure. It leaves him at the mercy of Briatore, even though it now appears highly unlikely a change will be made before the summer break, if at all. "With Colapinto not performing and making accidents, he can have a problem with Briatore, who won't help with a driver's morale," Patrese explained. "So Colapinto in this moment is not safe."