Don't pop the cork just yet.
FIA consider appeal against Briatore ruling
(UKPA) – 12 hours ago
The FIA are considering appealing against a French court's decision to order the overturning of a lifetime ban from motorsport the governing body had imposed against Flavio Briatore.
Former Renault team boss Briatore was rejoicing after the Tribunal de Grande Instance in Paris announced their verdict on Tuesday.
However, the FIA are currently assessing their options, notably into strengthening their own statutes that have been called into question by the TGI.
In their ruling the TGI made clear the FIA did not have the power to suspend Briatore and Pat Symonds for their roles in the infamous 'crashgate' scandal surrounding the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix as they were not licensed to compete.
Symonds, Renault's former director of engineering, was suspended for five years by the FIA, but that has also effectively been quashed.
Under FIA rules only licence holders - teams and drivers - and national sporting authorities can be sanctioned, but not what are deemed as third parties, such as Briatore and Symonds.
In response to the TGI's judgement, a FIA statement read: "The FIA notes the decision of the Tribunal de Grande Instance of Paris in relation to Mr Briatore and Mr Symonds.
"The Court has rejected the claims for damages made by Mr Briatore and Mr Symonds and their claim for an annulment of the FIA's decision.
"In particular, 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.
"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."
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