Zoom Briatore hasn't said his final word

Flavio Briatore has denied he is the source of leaks which appeared in the media this week regarding his planned arguments for the upcoming appeal hearing on his lifetime Formula 1 ban. The Italian also hit back at the FIA's reaction to the press reports.

Soon after the FIA banned the former Renault F1 Team boss last September for his involvement in the infamous 2008 Singapore Grand Prix race fix scandal, Briatore filed an appeal with the Tribunal de Grande Instance in Paris, where the headquarters of F1's governing body are located.

The leaked documents indicate that Briatore considers the affair to be a vendetta led by Max Mosley, who was nearing the end of his career as FIA President at the time. Briatore plans to argue that Mosley "assumed the roles of complainant, investigator, prosecutor and judge," and that his role in the aborted Formula One Teams Association breakaway plan – unrelated to the 'Crashgate' scandal - played its part in the decision to ban him forever.

"The FIA condemns the selective leaking of extracts from Mr Briatore's pleadings," read a statement from the Paris-based federation on Thursday. "The FIA rejects the allegations (...) and confirms that the decision to impose a sanction against Mr Briatore was made by an overwhelming majority of the attending World Motor Sport Council members."

On Friday, responding through his own statement, Briatore denied he leaked items to the media and sought to "remind the FIA that the procedures before the French civil courts are, in principle, public," and that "the hearing will also be public. "

Briatore also remarked on the FIA's comment regarding the "overwhelming majority" of the World Motor Sport Council members which agreed to ban him, indicating that one of its own members publicly declared that the WMSC decision against him had been taken the day before the hearing took place on September 21st – a hearing Briatore considers as a "facade" behind which "the FIA is now trying to hide."

While Briatore was banned for life, former executive director of engineering Pat Symonds received a five-year ban and has joined the appeal. Nelson Piquet jr, who last summer revealed the 2008 race fix plan to the FIA after being ousted by Briatore, was granted immunity. The Renault team was cleared of wrongdoing in the 'Crashgate' affair, the FIA having concluded that the team itself was not involved.

The day following the September hearing, the Guardian reported that Mohammed Ben Sulayem - President of the United Arab Emirates' automobile club, FIA Vice-President and allowed to vote with the WMSC - told the UAE's National newspaper: "We did our negotiations before and everybody is happy with the result. The verdict is fair and everyone is a winner."

Briatore is also requesting €1 million in compensation.

Daniel BASTIEN
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