Exzim
09-21-2009, 04:35 PM
Flavio Briatore banned indefinitely from F1 as Renault given suspended two-year sanction
Flavio Briatore, the former Renault team boss, was the big loser from the World Motor Sport Council’s extraordinary assembly in Paris on Monday morning when he was made to carry the can for the Formula One race-fixing scandal that rocked world sport.
By Tom Cary, F1 Correspondent, in Paris
Published: 2:56PM BST 21 Sep 2009
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01485/FLAVIO_BRIATORE_1485879c.jpg
The Italian entrepreneur, who left his post as team principal of Renault F1 (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/formulaone/) last week, was essentially handed a lifetime ban from any FIA-sanctioned series and forbidden to manage any FIA-licensed driver for the foreseeable future.
Briatore, 59, had vehemently denied allegations from driver Nelson Piquet Jnr that he ordered the Brazilian to crash at last year’s Singapore Grand Prix, this inducing a safety car which led to the victory of team-mate Fernando Alonso. He even claimed he had started legal proceedings against his former driver for “attempted blackmail and false allegations”.
However, after Renault conducted their own internal inquiry the company felt it could not back its team principal, who left Renault last Wednesday along with director of engineering Pat Symonds, who was also implicated by Piquet Jnr and who has been given a similar ban to Mr Briatore but for a period of five years.
As well as Nelson Piquet Jnr, Briatore currently manages the careers of Red Bull’s Mark Webber, Renault’s Romain Grosjean and Fernando Alonso and McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen.
“As regards Mr Briatore, the World Motor Sport Council declares that, for an unlimited period, the FIA does not intend to sanction any International Event, Championship, Cup, Trophy, Challenge or Series involving Mr. Briatore in any capacity whatsoever, or grant any license to any Team or other entity engaging Mr. Briatore in any capacity whatsoever,” a statement read.
“It also hereby instructs all officials present at FIA-sanctioned events not to permit Mr. Briatore access to any areas under the FIA’s jurisdiction. Furthermore, it does not intend to renew any Superlicence granted to any driver who is associated (through a management contract or otherwise) with Mr. Briatore, or any entity or individual associated with Mr. Briatore.
“In determining that such instructions should be applicable for an unlimited period, the World Motor Sport Council has had regard not only to the severity of the breach in which Mr. Briatore was complicit but also to his actions in continuing to deny his participation in the breach despite all the evidence.”
It is unclear whether Briatore’s ban will affect his co-ownership of football club Queen’s Park Rangers. The WMSC is not in fact authorised to hand out lifetime bans so instead they have approached the issue from the other direction and banned their licensees from employing Briatore.
Renault escaped the hearing lightly with a permanent ban suspended for a period of two years and only enforceable in the event that they commit a comparable offence in the interim. They must also pay the costs of the FIA investigation as well as make a donation to the FIA’s road safety work.
www.telegraph.co.uk (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/formulaone/renault/6214517/Flavio-Briatore-banned-indefinitely-from-F1-as-Renault-given-suspended-two-year-sanction.html)
Flavio Briatore, the former Renault team boss, was the big loser from the World Motor Sport Council’s extraordinary assembly in Paris on Monday morning when he was made to carry the can for the Formula One race-fixing scandal that rocked world sport.
By Tom Cary, F1 Correspondent, in Paris
Published: 2:56PM BST 21 Sep 2009
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01485/FLAVIO_BRIATORE_1485879c.jpg
The Italian entrepreneur, who left his post as team principal of Renault F1 (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/formulaone/) last week, was essentially handed a lifetime ban from any FIA-sanctioned series and forbidden to manage any FIA-licensed driver for the foreseeable future.
Briatore, 59, had vehemently denied allegations from driver Nelson Piquet Jnr that he ordered the Brazilian to crash at last year’s Singapore Grand Prix, this inducing a safety car which led to the victory of team-mate Fernando Alonso. He even claimed he had started legal proceedings against his former driver for “attempted blackmail and false allegations”.
However, after Renault conducted their own internal inquiry the company felt it could not back its team principal, who left Renault last Wednesday along with director of engineering Pat Symonds, who was also implicated by Piquet Jnr and who has been given a similar ban to Mr Briatore but for a period of five years.
As well as Nelson Piquet Jnr, Briatore currently manages the careers of Red Bull’s Mark Webber, Renault’s Romain Grosjean and Fernando Alonso and McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen.
“As regards Mr Briatore, the World Motor Sport Council declares that, for an unlimited period, the FIA does not intend to sanction any International Event, Championship, Cup, Trophy, Challenge or Series involving Mr. Briatore in any capacity whatsoever, or grant any license to any Team or other entity engaging Mr. Briatore in any capacity whatsoever,” a statement read.
“It also hereby instructs all officials present at FIA-sanctioned events not to permit Mr. Briatore access to any areas under the FIA’s jurisdiction. Furthermore, it does not intend to renew any Superlicence granted to any driver who is associated (through a management contract or otherwise) with Mr. Briatore, or any entity or individual associated with Mr. Briatore.
“In determining that such instructions should be applicable for an unlimited period, the World Motor Sport Council has had regard not only to the severity of the breach in which Mr. Briatore was complicit but also to his actions in continuing to deny his participation in the breach despite all the evidence.”
It is unclear whether Briatore’s ban will affect his co-ownership of football club Queen’s Park Rangers. The WMSC is not in fact authorised to hand out lifetime bans so instead they have approached the issue from the other direction and banned their licensees from employing Briatore.
Renault escaped the hearing lightly with a permanent ban suspended for a period of two years and only enforceable in the event that they commit a comparable offence in the interim. They must also pay the costs of the FIA investigation as well as make a donation to the FIA’s road safety work.
www.telegraph.co.uk (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/formulaone/renault/6214517/Flavio-Briatore-banned-indefinitely-from-F1-as-Renault-given-suspended-two-year-sanction.html)