Flavio Briatore heads into this weekend's Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at the helm of the embattled Alpine team - but he is not team principal, an employee or even a licence holder in Formula 1.
Alpine's former team principal, Briton Oliver Oakes, resigned on 6 May, citing "personal reasons".
Briatore, who is employed on a consultancy basis by parent company Renault, is "covering the duties previously performed by Oakes", Alpine has said.
But it has emerged he is not the person responsible for the team in the eyes of governing body the FIA.