A French court has lifted the Federation International de l’Autombile’s (FIA) lifetime motorsports ban on former Renault Formula One team director Flavio Briatore and awarded him $21,500 (15,000 Euros) in damages.
The Tribunal de Grande Instance in Paris ruled that the FIA, the worldwide motorsports governing body, conducted a biased investigation and did not have the legal authority to ban Briatore, as he did not hold an FIA license.
The FIA inquest and its decision were both spearheaded by former FIA president Max Mosley, who had a personal feud with Briatore.
Along with managing the Renault Formula One team, Briatore managed several other drivers. The ban cost him a sizeable amount of income.
Briatore had been banned from Formula One and all motorsports for the rest of his life after instructing driver Nelson Piquet Jr. to deliberately crash during the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.
The accident bought out a safety car, which allowed Renault’s other driver, Fernando Alonso, to catch up to the field.
The pits closed during the caution period, but drivers Nico Rosberg and Robert Kubica were forced to pit or run out of fuel. The caution interfered with their planned stops. The two were penalized, advancing Alonso to the lead. Alonso went on to win the race.
Renault technical director Pat Symonds was also banned, though only for five years. It is believed that his shorter ban reflected not only his position of lesser responsibility, but also the fact that he came forth and admitted his part in the affair while Briatore denied all involvement until driver Nelson Piquet Jr. told the FIA about the deliberate crash.
Symonds’ ban has also been lifted.
The entire Renault team was given a suspended two-year ban, to go into effect if the team broke any rules in the future. The French court did not address this part of the ruling in its decision.
Nelson Piquet Jr. made a deal with the FIA for immunity if he revealed the details of the plan. He told the FIA that he only went along with the plan because he wanted to keep his job on the Renault F1 team. Despite crashing for the team, Piquet was replaced mid-2009 by Rene Grosjean.
The FIA will likely appeal the decision. Until now the FIA was seen as the ultimate power in world motorsports. The French court’s ruling seriously weakens the FIA’s position as final arbiter of all things racing.
The reaction to the reversal among fans and sportswriters has been mixed. Many people feel that the ban was fair, because the deliberate crash put at risk the lives and safety of Piquet, the other drivers, and the track safety crew. Many still feel that the effort to cheat to fix a race merits a lifetime ban.
The Tribunal de Grande Instance in Paris ruled that the FIA, the worldwide motorsports governing body, conducted a biased investigation and did not have the legal authority to ban Briatore, as he did not hold an FIA license.
The FIA inquest and its decision were both spearheaded by former FIA president Max Mosley, who had a personal feud with Briatore.
Along with managing the Renault Formula One team, Briatore managed several other drivers. The ban cost him a sizeable amount of income.
Briatore had been banned from Formula One and all motorsports for the rest of his life after instructing driver Nelson Piquet Jr. to deliberately crash during the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.
The accident bought out a safety car, which allowed Renault’s other driver, Fernando Alonso, to catch up to the field.
The pits closed during the caution period, but drivers Nico Rosberg and Robert Kubica were forced to pit or run out of fuel. The caution interfered with their planned stops. The two were penalized, advancing Alonso to the lead. Alonso went on to win the race.
Renault technical director Pat Symonds was also banned, though only for five years. It is believed that his shorter ban reflected not only his position of lesser responsibility, but also the fact that he came forth and admitted his part in the affair while Briatore denied all involvement until driver Nelson Piquet Jr. told the FIA about the deliberate crash.
Symonds’ ban has also been lifted.
The entire Renault team was given a suspended two-year ban, to go into effect if the team broke any rules in the future. The French court did not address this part of the ruling in its decision.
Nelson Piquet Jr. made a deal with the FIA for immunity if he revealed the details of the plan. He told the FIA that he only went along with the plan because he wanted to keep his job on the Renault F1 team. Despite crashing for the team, Piquet was replaced mid-2009 by Rene Grosjean.
The FIA will likely appeal the decision. Until now the FIA was seen as the ultimate power in world motorsports. The French court’s ruling seriously weakens the FIA’s position as final arbiter of all things racing.
The reaction to the reversal among fans and sportswriters has been mixed. Many people feel that the ban was fair, because the deliberate crash put at risk the lives and safety of Piquet, the other drivers, and the track safety crew. Many still feel that the effort to cheat to fix a race merits a lifetime ban.
Others feel that though Briatore is guilty and should be punished, the FIA is not sufficiently objective to decide a matter so serious.
