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Briatore's lifetime suspension overturned by French court

Tue 5th, January 2010

Paris, France (Sports Network) - Flavio Briatore, the former team principal of the Renault racing team, had his lifetime ban from Formula One overturned by a French court Tuesday.

F1's governing body, the International Automobile Federation (FIA), banned Briatore from the sport last September for his role in the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix race fixing scandal. Investigations by the FIA and Renault found that Briatore and the team's executive director of engineering, Pat Symonds, planned a deliberate crash with driver Nelson Piquet Jr. in order to benefit the race strategy of Piquet's then teammate, Fernando Alonso, who went on to win the Singapore GP. Neither Alonso nor any other Renault personnel were aware of the conspiracy.

Briatore took his case to the Tribunal de Grand Instance in Paris, claiming the FIA did not have sufficient legal grounds to ban him from the sport. The court also overturned Symonds' five-year ban. Briatore sought $1.44 million in damages, but the court ordered the FIA to pay him $21,583. Symonds asked for $719,000 in damages, but received $7,190.

Both Briatore and Symonds left Renault prior to the FIA's ruling.

During a special hearing of the World Motor Sports Council in Paris, the FIA handed Renault a two-year suspended ban. Renault avoided permanent expulsion from F1, but the French team would be disqualified if found guilty of similar charges within the next two years.

Piquet, who was fired by Renault in July, was granted immunity from sanction for volunteering his evidence in the FIA investigation.

Also on Tuesday, Renault named Frenchman Eric Boullier as its new team principal. Boullier served as team principal for Team France in the A1GP Series from 2007-09. He takes over for Bob Bell, who filled the role at Renault on a temporary basis after the departure of Briatore.