FIA Appeals Court Defends Judges' Independence After Briatore's Allegations

Flavio Briatore, head of Alpine, claimed that a judge on the FIA Court of Appeal had connections to McLaren, suggesting bias in the ruling that restored a penalty on Pierre Gasly after the Monaco Grand Prix. The FIA’s highest legal authority countered, stating that appeal judges are bound by independence and confidentiality requirements, file annual interest disclosures, and sign specific independence declarations for each case.

It added that both McLaren and Red Bull, the parties to the dispute, were invited to raise any concerns about the judges before and after the hearing, but none were made. No objections were noted regarding how witnesses were questioned or how the proceedings were conducted. The appeal resulted in Gasly dropping to seventh place, while Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar moved to third, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri to fourth, and Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad to fifth and sixth. Briatore’s remarks, based on a 2018 charity auction attended by the judge, were rebuffed by McLaren, whose team principal Andrea Stella called the allegations insulting and without merit.