FIA Court Rejects Briatore's Claims on Gasly's Penalties

The FIA’s highest court has hit back at Flavio Briatore, firmly rejecting the Alpine executive’s claim that a judge involved in Pierre Gasly’s Monaco case held improper links to McLaren.

In a strongly worded statement, the FIA court of appeal said Briatore’s comments “question the independence and impartiality of the judges” and moved quickly to defend both the process and the people behind the verdict that reinstated Gasly’s penalties.

FIA closes ranks around its judges

Briatore had alleged on Friday that one of the court of appeal judges in the case – which saw Gasly shuffled back to seventh in the Monaco Grand Prix results – had “links” with McLaren and had behaved “like a prosecutor” during the hearing.

The court’s response was unequivocal. It stressed that its judges are bound by “independence and confidentiality requirements” laid out in the FIA’s judicial and disciplinary rules, must file annual declarations of interest with the FIA compliance officer, and are required to sign a specific declaration of independence for each individual case, tailored to the issues and the parties involved.

Crucially, the court underlined that all parties were given the chance, both before and after the hearing, to challenge any aspect of the process or the composition of the panel. No-one did.

No objection was raised during the hearing concerning the manner in which the court questioned the witness or conducted the proceedings,” the statement added.

The message was clear: debate the verdict if you like, but not the integrity of the room that delivered it.

A court’s decision can leave room for various interpretations and comments as for its legal merits; that is fair and accepted by all the judges,” the court said. “The court is confident in the soundness of the proceedings and the integrity of the judges. The FIA courts remain committed to the independence and impartiality of their judges and to the integrity of the judicial process.

The governing body also reiterated that the court of appeal “operates independently” of the wider FIA organisation.

Briatore points at McLaren, not Red Bull

Briatore’s accusations centred on a charity auction in California in 2018, which the judge in question attended and at which, he claimed, “McLaren gave two, three McLaren cars”.

This was quite unfair,” the 76-year-old Italian said. “One of the judges was linked with a team that was protesting us.

He framed the issue not around the judge’s conduct in isolation, but around a perceived conflict of interest: “One of the judges act like a prosecutor. This is not a big problem. The problem is he’s very linked with the McLaren company.

Pressed on why Alpine had not raised any objection at the time of the hearing, Briatore replied: “We found out, after the meeting, logically, not before, we found out this guy was linked with the McLaren team. This is what I think.

The case itself was brought jointly by McLaren and Red Bull, challenging the decision to drop two pit-lane speeding penalties for Gasly during the Monaco weekend. Yet Briatore’s public criticism pointed only at McLaren, not Red Bull.

The court ultimately sided with the protesting teams, reinstating the penalties and rewriting the points table.

Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar was restored to third place, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri to fourth, with Racing Bulls duo Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad elevated to fifth and sixth. Gasly dropped back to seventh, a costly slide for Alpine in an already difficult season.

McLaren fury at “insulting” claims

Inside McLaren, Briatore’s comments have gone down badly. Team sources have dismissed the suggestions outright and are incensed that, in their view, unfounded allegations were aired in a formal press conference.

Andrea Stella, McLaren’s team principal, sat just metres from Briatore as the Alpine figurehead made his remarks. He did not let them pass.

I find that this conference going in this direction is quite insulting for McLaren, for the reputation of a team that deserves a lot of respect,” Stella said.

And if anybody makes these kind of allegations – which seem quite serious – they are going to have to take the responsibility for what they are saying in a public forum.

Stella backed the process that Briatore had questioned.

The hearing, the whole International Court of Appeal, was conducted to the highest standards and we should not question this phase as has been done,” he said.

The lines are now clearly drawn. On one side, an FIA court adamant its procedures and people stand beyond reproach. On the other, an Alpine powerbroker who believes a judge should never have been anywhere near a case involving McLaren.

The verdict on Gasly will not change. The real question is whether the fallout now spills beyond a single Monaco penalty and into a wider battle over trust in Formula 1’s justice system.