Get the latest on the happenings in the world of auto racing as interpreted by StarNet's Jaynelle Ramon

IMOLA, Italy - Flavio Briatore is a playboy, a disco owner and one of the biggest personalities in Formula One racing. He's the link between F1 champions past (Michael Schumacher) and present (Fernando Alonso). And in Italy, he gets as many headlines as Ferrari - though he's the managing director of Renault. Briatore, who has used young drivers and small budgets to put the French manufacturer atop F1, wound up in the sport on a whim: He was Luciano Benetton's business partner when the clothing manufacturer suggested that Briatore direct the company's racing team. "(He) thought I was fit for this job," Briatore said in an interview with The Associated Press before last weekend's San Marino Grand Prix. "I didn't think so. But he did and, looking at the results, I have to say he was right." In 1994 and 1995, Briatore guided Schumacher to his first two titles when the pair were with the Benetton team. Last season, Alonso became the youngest champion in F1 history at 24 under Briatore's direction and Renault won its first team championship. Through four races this season, Alonso and Renault again have a comfortable lead atop the standings. The jointly owned Red Bull and Scuderia Toro Rosso teams also feature young drivers - including American Scott Speed - and gain attention with a massive three-floor hospitality center at races. "You also have to win, not just gain attention though. Improving your motor home doesn't make your car go faster. We're the world champions and I'm content with this," said Briatore, referring to his team's narrow trailer, which hasn't changed in more than five years. "I prefer to spend my money on the team." Renault's budget last season was just under $300 million, according to a study in the March issue of F1 Racing magazine. Toyota spent the most at about $500 million. But Briatore is no economist; he got his college degree in geometry and readily acknowledges that he chose the subject because "it seemed the easiest." Still, his business acumen has been apparent since he helped launch the Benetton brand in the United States in the 1980s. Now Briatore has other business ventures to keep him busy when he's not racing. He has a chain of discos called Billionaire with locations in Sardegna, Tuscany and soon London and is in the process of opening related fashion shops in Las Vegas, Japan and Russia. He's a European-only partner in Giuseppe Cipriani's restaurants. In Kenya, he has a line of hotels and casinos where profits go to children's charities, hospitals and orphanages. "They're hobbies, although with all these hobbies I have 500 people working for me," Briatore said in his mobile office, where a flat-screen TV showed a 24-hour news channel. The 56-year-old has come a long way from his small-town roots in Verzuolo, outside Turin, but "near nothing," as Briatore says. "It's important to take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves. I think I've done well," he said. Briatore's counterpart at Ferrari is Jean Todt, an introverted Frenchman whose meticulous management is the antithesis of Briatore's. "We have different approaches to life," Briatore said. "He takes things more personally but we have the same dedication. He's a friend of mine, I have a lot of respect for him." Briatore's relationships with his drivers have not always lasted, however. Schumacher left for Ferrari the year after winning his second title at Benetton and Alonso has announced he will leave Renault for McLaren in 2007. Briatore's contract is up at the end of this season also, but he could be inclined to stay and have one more go at the title with a Finnish driver - Heikki Kovalainen - that he sees as the sport's next star. Briatore has done so well that he's become a conflict of interest in Italy: an Italian that beats the home team - Ferrari. Last season, Renault snapped Ferrari's run of six straight team titles and Alonso ended Schumacher's run of five consecutive driver championships. The local media refers to him as "the anti-Ferrari." "To be Italian and able to beat Ferrari is a great satisfaction _ sporting-wise," Briatore said. "As an Italian, we all love Ferrari. Unfortunately, my destiny is to compete with her." Get the latest on the happenings in the world of auto racing as interpreted by StarNet's Jaynelle Ramon