FIA consider appeal against Briatore ruling

The FIA are considering appealing against a French court’s decision to order the overturning of a lifetime ban from motorsport the governing body had imposed against Flavio Briatore.

Former Renault team boss Briatore was yesterday rejoicing after the Tribunal de Grande Instance in Paris announced their verdict.

However, the FIA are currently assessing their options, notably into strengthening their own statutes that have been called into question by the TGI.

In their ruling the TGI made clear the FIA did not have the power to suspend Briatore and Pat Symonds for their roles in the infamous "crashgate" scandal surrounding the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix as they were not licensed to compete.

Symonds, Renault’s former director of engineering, was suspended for five years by the FIA, but that has also effectively been quashed.

Under FIA rules only licence holders – teams and drivers – and national sporting authorities can be sanctioned, but not what are deemed as third parties, such as Briatore and Symonds.