Oct.23 (GMM) Flavio Briatore is preparing to put aside the crashgate scandal and return to formula one for the benefit of the sport.

That is the claim of Bernie Ecclestone, who is not only F1's chief executive but also a close personal friend of the 60-year-old Italian.

Briatore was forced out of the paddock last year when the FIA found that he, as Renault team boss, ordered Nelson Piquet to deliberately crash in Singapore 2008.

But he has been back at several races this year, confirming that he wants to return in a new "business" role in 2013.

"What happened with Flavio was awful and very wrong and he deserved to be punished, maybe not as severely as he has been," Ecclestone, who owns the London football club Queens Park Rangers with Briatore, said in an interview with Gulf News.

"But we, and he, will overcome the setbacks and get on with the job of putting on a fabulous show for the fans worldwide and living our lives," the Briton added.

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