Alpine advisor Flavio Briatore questions the course of McLaren and Red Bull’s appeal against the reversal of Pierre Gasly’s time penalties in Monaco. During the Grand Prix weekend in Italy, the news broke that the International Court of Appeal had reinstated the Frenchman’s penalties, causing him to lose his third podium place for the Monaco GP after all. According to Briatore, one of the judges on the case, however, had ties to McLaren. Team principal Andrea Stella, in turn, does not appreciate this accusation: “I find this quite insulting to McLaren.”
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Just before the press conference for the team principals in Monza started, the news broke that Pierre Gasly had lost his podium place for the Monaco GP. The Frenchman’s time penalties for the race in the principality were reinstated, causing him to drop back to seventh place. Alpine boss Flavio Briatore was immediately asked about the news.
The top advisor of the French team immediately poured oil on the fire by stating that one of the judges of the International Court of Appeal who oversaw the case had ties to McLaren. According to Briatore, this judge was ‘very annoying’. “We had no idea that this man had ties to McLaren,” said the Italian top executive. “It was very funny, because this was not a judge, but a prosecutor. And then we found out that this man had ties to the McLaren team.” Briatore then states he only wants to know why ‘someone with ties to McLaren’ was allowed to oversee the case, and does not provide concrete evidence.
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‘Insulting to McLaren’
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella – who sat next to Briatore on the bench during the press moment – responded immediately. The Italian rejects the serious accusation from his compatriot. “I find this quite insulting to McLaren,” he responds. “It is a team that deserves a lot of respect. If someone brings forward these accusations, which are serious, he or she will have to take responsibility for them. We should not question the hearing, which was conducted according to the highest standards, in this way.”
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