FIA Courts issue statement after Flavio Briatore bias allegations

FIA's International Court of Appeal has pushed back after Flavio Briatore accused a judge of bias in the Pierre Gasly Monaco podium case, insisting the panel's integrity was never questioned during the hearing.

Why it matters:

Briatore's allegation goes to the heart of the sport's judicial independence. Alpine's executive advisor claimed Judge Filippo Marchino acted like a "prosecutor" and was "very nasty," then suggested Marchino had links to McLaren via a 2018 Beverly Hills event featuring McLaren Special Operations cars. Andrea Stella called the insinuation "insulting," making this one of the biggest off-track rows of the Monza weekend.

The details:

• The dispute stems from McLaren and Red Bull's protest over Gasly's rescinded pit-lane speeding penalties in Monaco. Alpine's right of review initially restored third place, but the ICA reversed that, dropping Gasly to seventh and promoting Isack Hadjar to third.
• Briatore claimed Marchino attended a 2018 Beverly Hills event linked to MSO, McLaren's road car division, and that he had a photo of Marchino with a McLaren. MSO is not part of the F1 operation.
• Stella warned that anyone making such allegations should be ready to defend them.

The ICA said judges are elected by FIA General Assemblies, make annual disclosures of interests, and sign an independence declaration for each case. Parties were invited to raise concerns at the start and end of the hearing, and none did. Panels are deliberately diverse to strengthen fairness.

What's next:

Marchino has not yet responded publicly. The ICA appears confident the statement closes the matter, but the Briatore-Stella tension could keep it simmering.