F1 boss FIRES BACK at criticism of controversial signing

One Formula 1 boss has hit back after a key new signing to their team was put under intense scrutiny after past controversies.

The signing was made ahead of the race in Spain, which saw Max Verstappen win his seventh race of the season and extend his lead at the top of the standings.

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Where his rivals lost ground, there was better news for French duo Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon, who both finished in the points for the second race in succession.

And it was their Alpine team who came under fire for bringing back an infamous F1 figure in a shock announcement.

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The French outfit endured a miserable start to the year, but things appear to be on the up as the season approaches its midway point.

Their latest encouraging performance came just days after the team announced the signing of former Benetton and Renault boss Flavio Briatore as an executive advisor.

The 72-year-old exited F1 in highly controversial circumstances following the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, where it was alleged that he instructed Nelson Piquet Jr to deliberately crash, allowing his team-mate Fernando Alonso to take advantage of the subsequent safety car to win the race.

The Italian has consistently denied the accusations, but was handed a lifetime ban by the sport's governing body in the aftermath of the incident, although this was overturned in 2010.

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On his return last weekend, Briatore issued an X-rated response to those unhappy with his return to the paddock, and now Alpine boss Bruno Famin has given his take on the reaction to the appointment.

"I don't really mind about [the] past," Famin said, as reported by ESPN. "I am always looking at the future, and looking at what we can get and to get our team better, and that's really our goal.

"What I see is with having Flavio as an advisor of the team is the opportunity to have his experience, to help us.

"He has a very high level knowledge of Formula 1, he has a lot of people, and I'm sure he will support us in developing the team faster and better. That's all."

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