French court has ruled illegal the lifetime ban that the International Automobile Federation (FIA) imposed on Flavio Briatore taking part in motor-racing..
Briatore was banned after the revelation that his Renault Formula One team staged a deliberate crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix in an attempt to rig the outcome of the race.
“The court ruled the sanction was illegal,” said a judge at the Tribunal de Grande Instance, as reported by Reuters.
Briatore was awarded only €15,000 compensation, after seeking €1 million.
Briatore left the Renault team following last year’s scandal. His successor as Renault Team Principal was named yesterday as Eric Boullier, a 36-year-old Frenchman with no former Formula One experience and who will be one of the youngest team principals in the paddock.
Reuters reports that Boullier is chief executive of Gravity Sport Management, a company owned by Luxembourg-based fund Genii Capital. The chairman of Genii Capital, Gerard Lopez, has a large stake in the Renault team.
Boullier has prior experience in motor-racing team management, having overseen the DAMS team in the GP2 series and the French team in the troubled A1GP championship.
FIA statement
"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.
"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."
Briatore:
"I would like to express my great joy with the decision handed down by the Tribunal de Grande Instance"
"I believe it important for the 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.
"The fact the World Motor Sport Council had been utilised to deal with a personal agenda aimed at pushing me out of the world of competition left me no other choice.
"The decision handed down today restores to me the dignity and freedom certain people had arbitrarily attempted to deprive me of.
"I believe justice has been done today."
