Briatore overturns F1 life ban
Former Renault boss Flavio Briatore overturns F1 life ban in Paris
Tuesday, 05, Jan 2010 02:58
By inthenews.co.uk staff.
Former Renault team principal Flavio Briatore has successfully appealed against his lifetime ban from all FIA-sanctioned motorsport series.
Briatore was handed the ban after an extraordinary meeting of the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC), while executive director of engineering Pat Symonds was given a five-year ban for asking driver Nelson Piquet Jr to deliberately crash at the 2008 Singapore grand prix.
However, at the French high court in Paris today, Briatore successfully overturned the ban, which he believed was overly harsh.
The Italian is also demanding ?1 million (£900,000) in compensation from the governing body after he argued the investigation into the crash was carried out unfairly.
Last year the FIA found Briatore to be in breach of the sport's rules, saying his offence was of "unparalleled severity".
It was revealed that Piquet's crash was ordered to bring out the safety car and assist team-mate Fernando Alonso, who went on to win the race.
"I would like to express my great joy with the decision handed down by the Paris Tribunal de Grande Instance [Regional Court]," Briatore's statement read.
"I believe it important for FIA to play the active role it deserves in automobile competition.
"As a sports person, and one passionately involved in car racing for more than 20 years, the decision to apply to the civil courts to contest a decision of the FIA was a difficult one for me to take.
"I believe that justice has been done."
In response to the French high court's decision, the FIA disparaged the verdict and claimed it had no obigation to overturn the ban issued to Briatore.
"The court did not examine the facts and has not reversed the FIA's finding that both Briatore and Symonds conspired to cause an intentional crash at the 2008 Singapore grand prix," said an FIA statement.
"However, the court did question the FIA's authority to impose bans upon Mr Briatore and Mr Symonds for procedural reasons and because they are not FIA licence holders and, according to the court, are therefore not subject to any FIA rules.
"The FIA's ability to exclude those who intentionally put others' lives at risk has never before been put into doubt and the FIA is carefully considering its appeal options on this point.
"The court's decision is not enforceable until the FIA's appeal options have been exhausted. Until then, the World Motor Sport Council's decision continues to apply."