Flavio Briatore has in effect been banned indefinitely from all FIA-sanctioned motorsport. This will be a blow to the Italian and it means that he will almost certainly now come under scrutiny from the British soccer authorities which have rules about people who are allowed to be owners of teams in the Premier League. This is believed to include a clause which excludes those who have been banned by other sporting federations. In addition to this the FIA says that will not renew any Superlicence granted to any driver who is associated (through a management contract or otherwise) with Briatore, or any entity or individual associated with Briatore.”
While Briatore might like to hand on his contracts to a nominee, the reality is that most of the drivers concerned will certainly take the opportunity to get out of the deals as these are generally long-term and demand a major percentage of the income generated. All the contracts are believed to have clauses which will allow this to happen.
The FIA clearly wants the sport to be entirely rid of Briatore.
Briatore’s ultimate tragedy is that he has destroyed whatever reputation he may have had in the sport. Racing history books will forever associate his name with the Singapore Scandal, effectively wiping out whatever earlier achievements he may have had in the sport.
It is obvious that the FIA wants to send a clear message to similar individuals that they should steer clear of the sport.
Sorry, exactly what ‘achievements’ by Briatore might we be talking about here?
not sure about racing books, but certainly i will forever associate first and foremost max mosely’s name with the singapore scandal. this was clearly a vendetta against flav, who gets a lifetime ban for a smaller part than symmonds, who gets 5 years, and piquet, who gets nothing despite coming up with the idea in order to secure his ’09 contract…
Which drivers are affected?
Will they all have to find a new manager before they sign for Ferrari, Renault, Williams etc, so does this delay the teams’ engine deals too?
Let the lawsuits begin.
Joe,
So this means that a driver cannot be managed by Flavio anymore – does the FIA ruling make it easy for those who are to break their contracts and walk away, or will it end up being a messy divorce?
Also, will the drivers affected try and sue Flavio for fees or compensation because he has been banned from the sport?
So Alonso keeps the win although his team conspired to fix the result.
Ridiculous.
It’s worth pointing out that a huge loser here is Pat Symonds. If he’d taken the immunity offer last week, he would probably have been able to continue in the sport (after a polite interval in the stands, of course). As it is, his career in F1 is effectively over, too, even though he admitted his involvement to the WMSC. I wonder why he did that outside the immunity offer? Some sort of perverse determination to face up to his misdemeanour?
Jonathan
“The FIA clearly wants the sport to be entirely rid of Briatore.”
And why not? Others round here have described him as ‘slimy’ and I can’t help but agree.
“effectively wiping out whatever earlier achievements he may have had in the sport.”
What achievements? Benetton may have snaffled Schumacher and gotten themselves a World Championship, but what had that to do with Briatore personally?
“It is obvious that the FIA wants to send a clear message to similar individuals that they should steer clear of the sport.”
…and I think the sport can only be better for it.
Joe,
Please help me understand this ruling today…why, when lives were risked to manipulate a GP, was this handled so lightly?
Symonds is suspended for five years and Briatore banned for life…fine. But the team didn’t suffer at all: a two-year suspended ban, no McLaren-style fine, they can keep their points and the ’08 result apparently stands?!!
Why?
Was it the public garroting of Flav and Pat? Was it the falling to the knees and begging for mercy of the surviving team leadership at the hem of the FiA papacy? Was it the money paid to the FiA for “investigation expenses”?
Or was it the absence of red-and-silver cars, Ron Dennis and Ferrari not having skin in this one?
Given that the numbers of people involved in this were equal to SpyGate, I have to conclude that the FiA considers Ferrari’s wrath more than it does lives Renault potentially risked.
My other thought is that had McLaren followed this script, and fallen on it’s knees, ala Renault, the FiA just would’ve had a clearer swing with the axe.
There doesn’t seem to be any justice here.
Thanks for all you do Joe!
Cheers!
I know he’s guilty, and Flav deserves everything he got. But this does seem *extroadinarily* handy for Max Moseley’s ego. In the summer, he was the most agitating team manager for the alternative championship. And now he’s lost his team, he’s lost all his golden goose drivers, and probably his stake in QPR, just to rub sodium chloride into the gaping wound. Didn’t Flav manage more F1 drivers than anyone else, before today? Alonso. Webber. Heikki? Talk about kicking an Italian when he’s down. Max must be rushing off to w*** himself!
That’s what it was all about. This was Get Flav Day. I suppose Max has his retirement present now – get rid of Ron to the point where he makes implausibly named roadcars. Get rid of Flav to the point he goes and counts his millions from other interests. Will Max take a pop at Luca di Montezemolo?
So Pat goes to the US to SMASHCAR for 5 years then comes back. Junior says he wants to drive in F1 again. I suggest he starts working on his HGV licence as the trucks don’t get to the races by themselves. In the meantime, Fernando Teflonso goes to Ferrari and becomes WDC again.
Vote Ari!
[...] not just banned, but crushed as well… Briatore not just banned, but crushed as well… Renault reacts Renault reacts Piquet and Alonso get off Piquet and Alonso [...]
Before the “Liegate” hearing at the start of the season, it was made clear that Dave Ryan had resigned from McLaren and therefore could not be called before the World Council, or charged individually by the FIA. How are Briatore and Symonds under the jurisdiction of the FIA if they had both resigned their positions prior to the hearing?
On another note, I’m not Flavio’s biggest fan by a long stretch, but this is clearly an attempt to destroy him personally IMO.
“Junior says he wants to drive in F1 again. I suggest he starts working on his HGV licence as the trucks don’t get to the races by themselves.”
You’d really risk PK Jnr behind the wheel of one of those behemoths when he can’t keep a car out of the wall when it’s completely under his control?
{shakes head in complete disbelief…}
Joe,
There is some justice but as others have mentioned why would Symonds receive “only” a five year ban? Looking at the leaked transcript he clearly did not accept immunity as he answered nothing specifically.
While one can argue there have been questionable decisions by the FIA in the past in favor of one entity or another, that is the core reason this cheating has grown to the immense proportions and of course this is one of the most egregious.
Piquet should also be banned for life. Really, putting the others at risk because Flav and Pat told me too. If I paid you one million pounds to rob a bank with gun in hand how does that mitigate my role. The gun in this case is the car and Piquet fired with parts spread across the track. Doesn’t anyone remember what a 1 or 2 kg part bounding down the track just did to Fileppe Massa?
Pitiful. I seriously doubt anyone at Renault beyond the team (Flavio, Pat and Nelson and perhaps someone else) had any complicity at all but the guilty parties should receive no leniency. They should be in jail for a few years.
I wonder if Burnt Ecclescake will have to vote his mate Flav off the QPR chums bench?
So Alonso knew nothing of this little scheme? Horsesh!t. Am I supposed to believe a man of his obvious intelligence didn’t question why he as starting the race with a ludicrous fuel load? Not once he asked “why it is my car is having the tiny fuel?”
Please.
I think a lot of people are suspicious, but how can you prove it?
This is a ridiculous decision from the WMSC but what’s unusual in that. Team Teflon gets a free ride again while Flavio is hung, drawn, quartered.
The last thing I am ever going to be is sympathetic to Briatore but it seems ridiculous he can have his businesses wiped out while the team that benefitted gets no punishment.
I don’t see the difference in the punishments of Briatore and Symonds. Both were clearly guilty of exactly the same thing and going by Piquet’s comments Symonds played a bigger part than Briatore yet gets a much lighter punishment.
At some point Renault must be punished for something. They can’t have a free ride forever.
Joe No argument with the penalties in this case except Renault have been hit with a ton of feathers when there clearly must be suspicions about the driver who benefited from all of this. What gets me is the hypocrisy of this witch hunt when Ferrari clearly manipulated the result of the Austrian GP in 2002. Ok team orders were allowed in those days but the person responsible for that and who tried to brush aside “Park-gate” in Monaco in 2006 is now running for the Presidency of the FIA. Surely this man should not be allowed anywhere near the administration of motorsport.
I have visions of Max punching the air and exclaiming “Result!”
Like him or loathe him, you have to admire his execution.
You have to wonder that without his father’s political baggage, had Max entered politics, he would have been a hell of an operator. Another Mandelson. Quite a thought…
So there we go, another FIA/WMSC meeting to decide the fate of a do-badder, that follows no previous precedents and as an added Brucie-Bonus, would appear to have been a ploy to get at one person in particular.
I think Renault were very sensible to fall on their swords if they plan to stay in the sport for any length of time [ie, beyond the next 4 races] but in truth, I can’t help but think, that like many things in the sporting world, all this was sorted out last week, probably over a bottle of fine French Brandy in some plush hotel suite away from the madding crowd and that today was a mere formality for the benefit of the eager public and even more eager media.
Still, we can at least rest assured on one thing – if motor racing is corrupt from stem to stern, it is due in no small part to the leaders setting such a fine example.
Oh yes, no Ferrari fan am I, but watch your back Luca, those knives are still sharp enough to part a few of your ribs, Flav will vouch for it.
Steven’s well-said point about the typically unsurprising ludicrous WMSC ruling, and Tony’s argument that yes, Renault are getting hit, albiet with feathered pillows and the hypocritical and dual-standard history of FiA “justice” — I’m forced to conclude in the end, that Jackie Stewart was right: “Something is fundamentally rotten and wrong at the heart of Formula One.”
The whole sport needs a hose-out.
I am astonished how ALL the newspapers and blogs have missed the following two points. Firstly, just like the Turkish Federation was let off with paying 50% of the fine I am equally certain that the basically very nice Pat Symonds will get off with 2 1/2 years maximum. I think he did what he did partly out of loyalty to his boss and secondly to protect everyone else on the pitwall who knew.
The other point about “crushed” Flavio, please let us all grow up. The guy is a zillionaire with a beautiful 30 year old new wife (ex bikini model, what else). Consequently poor crushed Flavio will be forced to watch the Monaco GP from his mega-yacht with one hand on the new Mrs Briatore and the other on a magnum of Dom Perignon. The only crushed item will be the ice in the champagne bucket.
Andrew Frankl
Belvedere, CA
His ego will be crushed
Joe
One small point is that QPR are not in the Premier League but in the Championship, thus come under the jurisdiction of the Football League and not the Premier League.
However, both have similair rules that forbid a director banned in another sport to be a part of a club, so they are apprently looking into this. I’m sure the other co-owner, Mittal, will look to buy him out as Fkav really has no choice given this ruling…
[...] Briatore not just banned, but crushed as well… (Joe Saward) [...]
[...] Briatore not just banned, but crushed as well… (Joe Saward) [...]
I’m truely looking forward to this weekend, and the coming blogs!