The Renault affair with Briatore still causes a great stir in Formula 1

According to Briatore, the FIA is accused of holding secret talks before the meeting during which he was banned for life from Formula 1. The governing body condemned the leak of documents in Flavio Briatore’s court case against the Formula 1 authorities. In documents seen by the newspaper The Guardian, Briatore accuses former FIA president Max Mosley of being “manifestly blinded by an excessive desire for personal revenge.”

Former Renault boss, Flavio Briatore has been banned for life from Formula 1 and all motorsport after being found guilty in the ‘crashgate’ incident during the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. The Italian is suing the FIA and is seeking a complete overturn of the ban. According to the Guardian, Briatore is also demanding 1 million euros in compensation for damage to his reputation.

The supervisory authority criticized the leak of these documents to the press on Thursday and denied the accusations made against it: « The FIA condemns the selective leaks of excerpts from Mr. Briatore’s submissions to the Paris Court of First Instance, » stated the FIA in a press release.

« Furthermore, the FIA rejects the allegations made in these leaks and confirms that the decision to impose a sanction against Mr. Briatore was requested by an overwhelming majority of the members of the Motor Sport Council. In respect of the authority of the French Court, it would be completely inappropriate for the FIA to revisit this issue before the scheduled hearing.

The case will be heard on November 24 in Paris. Meanwhile, the businessman stated that he had nothing to hide and that the documents were not confidential: « The FIA neglects to mention that, according to statements in the press by one of its own vice-presidents, the decision of the World Council was rather the result of secret negotiations. » These would have taken place on the eve of Briatore’s hearing…