Entrepreneur, sportsman, millionaire, and avid Latin lover: Flavio Briatore, who just turned 76 (born in 1950), continues to make waves and influence various industrial sectors with his projects.
When people talk about nightlife and luxury clubs in Italy, the first image that comes to mind is that of the Piedmontese entrepreneur who in recent years has focused his work on exclusive nightclubs and restaurants. His latest creation is Crazy Pizza, a chain of pizzerias (three currently open in London, Monte Carlo, and Porto Cervo) where a classic Margherita costs 16 euros and one with prosciutto costs 31 euros.
But how much does Flavio Briatore earn? Let’s take a look at the biography, earnings, and business ventures of the former Formula 1 team manager, who has been a successful all-round entrepreneur for years.
Who is Flavio Briatore: biography, career, and private life
Flavio Briatore was born on April 12, 1950, in Verzuolo, a town of just over 6,000 inhabitants in the province of Cuneo. The son of elementary school teachers, he has a sister and a brother, the latter of whom passed away in 2015.
Having failed his second and third year of high school twice, he obtained a private diploma as a surveyor and then began working as a ski instructor. His entrepreneurial spirit was evident from an early age: in his hometown, everyone called him “Tribula,” a nickname that even then reflected his restlessness and determination to build a future for himself outside the box. It was no coincidence that he immediately opened his own restaurant, a brief but crucial experience in understanding the direction he needed to take.
During the 1970s, he began collaborating with the financier Attilio Dutto, moving to Milan and working on the stock exchange after Dutto was killed by a car bomb connected to the ignition of his car. It was in the Lombardy capital that the meeting that would change his life took place: the one with Luciano Benetton.
He began managing some of the Veneto giant’s stores, contributing to the brand’s international expansion, including into the United States, before moving on to Formula 1, a role that made him known worldwide.
Having become executive director of the Benetton team, thanks to the hiring of a then-very young Michael Schumacher, successes followed: a double world championship in both drivers’ and constructors’ championships in 1994 and 1995. A pattern replicated with Fernando Alonso during the Renault years, with the titles of 2005 and 2006.
In 2001, when the Benetton team was acquired by Renault, Flavio Briatore retained his role as executive director, a role he held until 2009. That same year, the “Crashgate” scandal surrounding the 2008 Singapore GP hit, a situation that led to his suspension, which was later overturned in 2010.
After years away from the paddock, in 2024 Briatore officially returned to Formula 1 as Executive Advisor of the Alpine team, confirming a never-ending bond with the Circus. At the same time, he continued to manage drivers, including Alonso himself.
Remaining in the sporting world, between 2007 and 2011, he was one of the owners of Qpr, a London football team.
He is also famous for his love affairs, from Naomi Campbell to Heidi Klum to Elisabetta Gregoraci, with whom he had a son. The two separated in 2019 but maintained a solid and collaborative relationship.
After (at least partially) closing his Formula 1 career, Briatore devoted himself full-time to entrepreneurship, transforming his name into a true global luxury brand.
Flavio Briatore’s Net Worth: Here’s How Much He Earns
In 2022, the Majestas Group—a company owned by Flavio Briatore and Francesco Costa, with 50% stakes each—recorded a turnover of 80 million euros.
Revenues then increased sharply in 2023, with Corriere della Sera reporting an estimate of 100 million for the group, with Billionaire and Twiga (and Crazy Pizza) taking the lion’s share of the revenue.
In the past, the American magazine Forbes, which specializes in calculating the finances of the world’s richest people, credited Flavio Briatore with an estimated personal net worth of $200 million in 2014.
However, the most up-to-date estimates for 2025 speak of total wealth reaching approximately $400 million according to the most optimistic sources, thanks mainly to the international expansion of its operations and diversified investments.
According to an article in Sole 24 Ore, in 2015 “the group’s 9 restaurants generated 22.2 million in revenue and 6.1 million in gross operating margin,” which then rose to “37 million in turnover and almost 10 million in EBITDA” in 2016. “In 2017, turnover rose to 53.9 million with 14.6 million in EBITDA,” the newspaper writes, “probably reaching nearly 66 million in revenue and just under 20 million in EBITDA by the end of 2018, thus with a profitability of 30.2%.”
An investigation by Corriere della Sera in March 2019 revealed that “Flavio Briatore and Daniela Santanché’s Twiga in Forte dei Marmi generates 4 million in annual revenue and rents €17,619. Therefore, the beach resort in Marina di Pietrasanta, in Versilia, generates 227 times the rent.”
Added to these numbers are personal assets such as the yacht Force Blue, estimated to be worth around 20 million dollars and with annual management costs close to 2 million, a tangible symbol of a lifestyle that is an integral part of the Briatore brand.
Entrepreneurial Activity: A Detailed Look at Flavio Briatore’s Companies
In 1998, Flavio Briatore, along with DJ Max Correnti, created the Billionaire brand, launching the eponymous nightclub in Porto Cervo, Sardinia, later followed by Twiga. Subsequently, several other locations were opened, including in Dubai, Istanbul, Monte Carlo, and Cortina, but only in the winter.
Also under the Billionaire banner are a men’s haute couture clothing and accessories brand, Billionaire Italian Couture, a famous luxury resort in Malindi in Kenya, and the organization of a series of social events.
The family’s safe is now the Majestas Group—in partnership with Francesco Costa—which owns the Billionaire, Twiga, and Crazy Pizza chains. An ecosystem that unites dining, nightlife, and fashion under a single umbrella: exclusivity and high spending.
The business model is clear: iconic locations, an international clientele, and premium pricing. This is how Briatore built an empire that extends far beyond Formula 1, while maintaining a foothold in the racing world thanks to his return in 2024 as an advisor to Alpine.
Flavio Briatore, however, has also faced several legal troubles. In 1990, the Milan Court of Appeals granted an amnesty to a gambling conviction, and he was subsequently discharged in 2010 after he had previously fled to the Virgin Islands to escape arrest.
The Force Blue scandal also erupted in 2010, with the entrepreneur’s megayacht being seized along with €1.5 million. The charges were “registering the yacht in the name of a shell company, simulating chartering activities, evading VAT on the purchase of the vessel, and failing to pay excise duties on fuel amounting to €3.6 million.”
After a series of second-instance rulings, Briatore was sentenced to 18 months, but the Supreme Court of Cassation overturned the appeal ruling, ordering a new proceeding regarding the VAT omission. The Court also ordered the invoices to be annulled without referral, as the case was not substantiated. In January 2022, Briatore was finally final acquittal, as “the act does not constitute a crime.”
Original article published on Money.it Italy. Original title: Quanto guadagna Flavio Briatore? Il patrimonio dell’imprenditore-
