R`s supremo Flavio Briatore will be in a Paris court today seeking to overturn the punishment handed down to him by the FIA back in September.
The hearing is expected to take place in the Paris Tribunal’s 5th civil chamber where Briatore will also be seeking a million euros in damages and is reportedly backed by Pat Symonds, the long-time engineering chief at Renault who was banned for only five years amid the same race-fixing allegations.
Our own Benie Ecclestone is on record in saying the ban was excessive and he has been joined by Ferrari president and FOTA chairman Luca di Montezemolo who said the same in a radio interview with “La Politica nel Pallone” on Monday.
Allegedly the allegations against the FIA include the failure of the FIA to state the charges against him in advance; the lack of access to prosecution documents and to the key witness (Piquet); a lack of impartiality; secret negotiation of the final decision before the hearing; and the granting of selective immunities in order to build the prosecution case
Our man goes to court confident of a positive outcome saying “This decision is a legal absurdity and I have every confidence that the French courts will resolve the matter justly and impartially.’
Expert opinion on the possible outcome is divided but that outcome is widely expected to be decided in the 5th Civil chamber today. We here at Vital will be doing our best to bring you updates as and when they become available during the day.
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