The FIA International Court of Appeal responded to the accusations made by Flavio Briatore following the decision involving Pierre Gasly’s penalties at the Monaco Formula 1 GP. The Alpine executive had publicly questioned the impartiality of judge Filippo Marchino.
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Briatore claimed that Marchino acted as a “prosecutor” during the hearing and also alleged that the judge had connections with McLaren. The accusation was based on Marchino’s presence, through the One Drop Foundation, at a 2018 event in Beverly Hills where McLaren Special Operations provided cars. MSO, however, is the brand’s road vehicle division and has no connection with the F1 team.
Andrea Stella reacted strongly to the statements and described the insinuation as “offensive,” warning that those who make such accusations need to be prepared to support them. Marchino, so far, has not publicly responded to Briatore’s remarks.
In a statement, the Court said that the appointment and participation of the judges followed all applicable judicial procedures. “All judges are elected by the FIA General Assemblies, are subject to independence and confidentiality requirements, make annual declarations of interests, and sign a specific declaration of independence for each case,” it highlighted.
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The Court also emphasized that the parties were invited, at the beginning and end of the hearing, to raise any objections about the procedure or the panel composition. “None did. No objections were raised during the hearing regarding how the Court questioned the witnesses or conducted the process,” it stated.
The body concluded by saying it trusts “in the soundness of the procedure and the integrity of the judges,” reinforcing its commitment to independence, impartiality, and integrity of the judicial process.
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