Farewell Flavio: A Brief History Of F1's Playboy

In the interests of protecting the environment portions of this text have been re-cycled.

Today August 16th 2009 we have seen Flavio Briatore take his leave of Renault, and it is fair to say he departs under unfortunate circumstances.

Having guided two drivers to four world championships, he is now a very familiar face to us. Soccer tycoon, nightclub owner, and babe-magnet, Flavio Briatore is an improbable character who could have stepped from the pages of a steamy novel.

He has been in many a scrape, made an enormous fortune, and has dated some of the world's most beautiful women, including Naomi Campbell, Adriana Volpe, Eva Herzigova, Elle Macpherson, and Heidi Klum.

So who is Flavio, and where did he come from?

In this brief history of the master of bling, bonk, and billions, we take a stroll down memory lane to see how Flavio became the man he is today.

The Clothing Mogul

As a young man Flavio's nickname was Tribula, meaning someone who will do whatever it takes to get what he wants. By the late 1970's our hero had done a lot of things, and had become assistant to mafia-connected businessman Attilio Dutto in Cuneo.

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