FIA responds to Briatore over Gasly podium dispute and defends judge linked to McLaren

The dispute over Pierre Gasly’s lost podium at the Monaco Grand Prix has moved beyond the penalty itself. The FIA International Court of Appeal has now publicly defended its procedures and, above all, the independence of the judges involved.

The FIA issued a statement after Flavio Briatore, Alpine’s executive adviser, questioned the conduct of one of the tribunal members in Monza. Briatore suggested that judge Filippo Marchino had links to McLaren, one of the teams that had appealed the decision that initially restored Gasly to third place.

The FIA courts said the judges’ appointment and participation complied with the organization’s judicial procedures and established practices. Those practices, it said, follow strict standards, including guidelines from the International Bar Association on conflicts of interest in international arbitration.

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The FIA courts have taken note of public comments questioning the independence and impartiality of the judges who made up the panel that ruled on the case

“The FIA courts have taken note of public comments questioning the independence and impartiality of the judges who made up the panel that ruled on the case,” the statement said. It was signed by Laurent Anselmi, Rui Botica Santos, Waltraud Wünsch and Gérard Martin.

The organization also explained that all FIA judges are elected by the FIA General Assemblies, with some nominated by a group of at least five people. The court said no one had challenged the composition of the panel during the Monaco hearing, according to the description.

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The FIA courts wish to clarify that the appointment and participation of the judges in this case, as in any other, were carried out in accordance with the applicable FIA judicial procedures and customary practices, which are based on the highest standards, such as the IBA guidelines relating to conflicts of interest in international arbitration