Flavio Briatore has F1 life ban overturned on appeal

FORMER Renault team boss Flavio Briatore has had his life ban from Formula 1 overturned after a French court ruled that the punishment was illegally imposed by the sport's governing body.

The flamboyant Italian was banned in September by the International Automobile Federation (FIA) for a plot to rig the outcome of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix by staging a deliberate crash.

"The court ruled the sanction was illegal," said a judge at the Tribunal de Grande Instance.

Briatore, a multi-millionaire businessman who had also sought damages of 1 million as well as demanding the sentence be lifted, was awarded 15,000 in compensation.

"I would like to express my great joy with the decision handed down by the Tribunal de Grande Instance," said Briatore."

As a sports person and one passionately involved in car racing for more than 20 years, the decision to apply to the civil courts to contest a decision of the FIA was a difficult one for me to take. The decision handed down today restores to me the dignity and freedom certain people had arbitrarily attempted to deprive me of. I believe justice has been done today."

With regards to an F1 return, he added: "Let me take a little time to enjoy this moment of happiness after this difficult period. As concerns my possible return to F1, there is plenty of time to talk about this."

The FIA's lawyer, Jean-Francois Prat, said the FIA would "very likely" appeal the decision. He declined to make any further comment.

Brazilian driver Nelson Piquet triggered one of Formula 1's biggest scandals when he was dropped by Renault in July and then told the FIA that he had been ordered to crash deliberately at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. He said he had done so to bring out the safety car and help his Spanish team-mate Fernando Alonso, the double world champion who has now joined Ferrari, win the race. Alonso was cleared of any knowledge of the plan.

Former champions Renault were handed a suspended permanent ban while engineering head Pat Symonds, who left the team at the same time as Briatore, was banned for five years. The court overturned Symonds' sentence yesterday and awarded the Briton 5,000 in compensation.

Briatore had launched his legal case in October, claiming he had not been given the right to a free and fair defence to the charges. The Italian had highlighted his strained relationship with former FIA president Max Mosley and described the FIA procedure as a "sham hearing".

The court upheld Briatore's complaint in a written statement: "The decision was taken while the (motorsport] council was chaired by (Mosley], who had notoriously come into conflict with Mr Briatore," it said. "Mr Mosley played a key role in launching (both] the inquiry and the legal process."

The panel of three judges noted Briatore had been summoned via an e-mail only three days before the FIA hearing, had not been told why he had been charged and that the governing body had not sent him any document regarding the scandal. Yesterday's ruling had ramifications beyond the world of Formula 1, with Briatore also the co-owner of English Championship football club Queens Park Rangers. Had the ban been upheld, Briatore could have been forced out of the London club under league rules aimed at ensuring ownership is in the hands of fit and proper persons.

Meanwhile, Renault yesterday confirmed Eric Boullier as Briatore's replacement as team principal. The 36-year-old Frenchman was in the same role for Team France in the A1GP Series between 2007 and 2009.