Up to Brivio if he stays at Alpine - de Meo

Davide Brivio will "decide" whether to stay in Formula 1 with Alpine or return to the familiar environment of MotoGP, team owner Renault’s CEO Luca de Meo admits.

Recently, rumours swirled in the paddock that because the long-time and successful MotoGP manager was struggling to adjust to F1, he might return to two wheels.

"He meets expectations," Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi said last month.

"Like all managers of the team, he will be evaluated on the achievements and results of this year."

But the man most responsible for luring Brivio to Alpine was fellow Italian de Meo - the CEO of Renault.

"Davide has his place on the team," de Meo told Spanish newspapers AS and Marca when asked about the Brivio rumours.

"I think he is a person with many human qualities that we needed. He has great sensitivity in developing the talent of young people, drivers.

"So he has his position, he has to decide, but it seems to me that he has every intention of continuing his integration to a very different world," de Meo added.

"I always tell him my personal story," the Italian continued.

"When I went from Fiat to Volkswagen, I didn’t even speak a word of German. In Italy I had been a demi-God, because I was working with Marchionne and we turned Fiat around.

"But when I got to Wolfsburg, they treated me like a school boy," de Meo added.