The FIA International Court of Appeal (ICA) has responded to the accusations from Flavio Briatore. The Alpine boss questioned the independence of one of the judges who oversaw the case regarding Pierre Gasly’s time penalties for the Monaco GP. The ICA now defends its independence: “All judges are bound by independence and confidentiality requirements.”
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On Friday, the International Court of Appeal (ICA) announced the outcome of the appeal case by Red Bull and McLaren against the reversed time penalties of Pierre Gasly for the Monaco GP. The FIA International Court of Appeal – simply FIA Courts – decided to reinstate the time penalties, causing Gasly to lose his third podium place. Flavio Briatore responded to this ruling in a press conference. The Alpine boss made the serious accusation that one of the judges had ties with McLaren.
International Court of Appeal responds
The International Court of Appeal (ICA) now issues a statement in response to Briatore’s accusations. “The FIA Courts are aware of the public comments questioning the independence and impartiality of the judges on the panel who handled (the time penalties of Gasly, ed.)”, begins the official statement.
“The FIA Courts want to emphasize that the appointment and participation of the judges in this case, as in any other case, took place according to the applicable judicial procedures of the FIA and the usual working methods. These are based on the highest standards, such as the IBA guidelines on conflicts of interest in international arbitration.”
“All judges are elected by the General Assemblies of the FIA. Some of them are nominated by a group of at least five F1 teams, in accordance with the statutes of the FIA,” the statement continues. “All judges are bound by the independence and confidentiality requirements of the FIA Judicial and Disciplinary Rules. Additionally, they annually declare their interests to the FIA Compliance Officer and sign a specific independence declaration for each individual case, taking into account the matter and the parties involved. This declaration is also provided to the parties.”
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No previous complaints from Alpine
The ICA then confirms that no complaints were heard from Alpine or other teams at the time of the hearing. “Both at the beginning and at the end of the hearing, the parties were invited to raise any objections regarding the procedure or the composition of the Court. None of the parties did so. During the hearing, no objections were made to the way the Court questioned the witness or conducted the procedure.”
“The ICA emphasizes the importance of panels composed of judges with diverse cultural and geographical backgrounds,” the statement concludes. “This helps ensure that deliberations and discussions reflect a diversity of legal traditions, perspectives, and approaches. This further strengthens the fairness, independence, and credibility of the process and the right to a fair trial.”
Statement from the FIA International Court of Appeal.
The FIA Courts operate independently from the FIA’s sporting and administrative functions.
In this statement, the Court clarifies the procedures governing the appointment and participation of its judges, and reaffirms its… pic.twitter.com/7HCuMoelUE
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— FIA (@fia) September 5, 2026
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