FIA rejects Briatore impartiality claim over Gasly penalty appeal

The FIA Court of Appeal has rejected Flavio Briatore’s claim that one of its judges was linked to McLaren, maintaining that the proceedings which reinstated Pierre Gasly’s Monaco Grand Prix penalty were independent and properly conducted.

Briatore alleged that the judge had acted like a prosecutor and had a connection to McLaren, which was among the teams that brought the case against Alpine alongside Red Bull. His claim referred to the judge’s attendance at a California charity auction in 2018 involving McLaren cars.

The FIA said its appeal judges are bound by independence and confidentiality requirements under its judicial and disciplinary rules. Judges must also disclose their interests annually to the FIA compliance officer and sign a case-specific declaration of independence.

The court said both parties had been given opportunities before and after the hearing to raise concerns about the proceedings or its composition, but neither did so. It also said no objection was raised during the hearing about how witnesses were questioned or how the case was conducted.

The ruling restored Gasly’s two pit-lane speeding penalties and moved him back to seventh in the Monaco Grand Prix classification. Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar returned to third, while McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, and Racing Bulls drivers Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad, were promoted to fourth, fifth and sixth respectively.

The available source does not name the judge or independently establish the alleged McLaren connection. The FIA said it remained confident in the soundness of the proceedings and the integrity of its judicial process.