Controversial F1 team boss launches extraordinary McLaren attack after Monaco ruling

Flavio Briatore has hit out at the process by which a podium finish was taken away from Alpine driver Pierre Gasly this week, seeming to suggest the appearance of some bias in the FIA Court of Appeal process.

Gasly was demoted back down to seventh in the Monaco Grand Prix results on Saturday when that court decided that his penalties from that race should be applied, despite an error in the pitlane speed detectors.

Briatore was speaking in the FIA's team representative press conference on Saturday after the decision was made, and went guns blazing from the very first question.

The controversial Italian, who is Alpine's de facto team principal, called FIA judge Filippo Marchino 'nasty', complained that Marchino is 'very linked with McLaren', and called that alleged link 'quite unfair'.

Briatore complained over and over about the 'unfair' decision, spending the majority of his answers in the press conference complaining about Marchino and outlining what he called the FIA judge's links to McLaren.

READ MORE: Monaco Grand Prix result changed AGAIN as F1 star loses podium

Briatore: Monaco Grand Prix decision very unfair

Asked for his immediate reaction to the decision, he said: "This is very unfair. But you know, we accept the decision, but what is very strange was four judges in the panel. One of the judges act like a prosecutor. This is not a big problem.

"The problem is he’s very linked with the McLaren company, because we have a nice picture of this guy at a speech for McLaren in 2018 in MSO, Beverly Hills. He has a foundation, it’s called One Drop foundation, and McLaren gave two, three McLaren cars. This was quite unfair. One of the judges was linked with a team which was processing us."

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella then gave his own response to the ruling, saying that the decision was welcome for adding 'clarity in relation to the application of Article 1.1.1 of the International Sporting Code of the FIA' and calling it important for all teams to have clarity about the application of the sport's rules.

Briatore bit back immediately, saying: "Very nice talking about the point one, one, P2, three, P, P, P, but what is unfair is some judge was linked with McLaren. This is unfair. The judge normally needs to be independent, completely. And this judge, the name is, it’s kind of an Italian name, but he’s American, Filippo Marchino.

"Filippo Marchino is a judge, he was very nasty during the hearing, was acting as a prosecutor. And after, we found out what is the reason why so nasty, this guy. He is very linked with McLaren. This I notice. So whatever Stella said, for the sport, for this, first I think someone, where you have the judgement, the judge needs to be independent.

"And not somebody doing the speech for McLaren and somebody using the McLaren car in the charity. This is the point. After that, the point one, one, three, two, four, five, I don’t care. I care… I’m very surprised this guy have the link with McLaren."

Briatore: We had no idea of McLaren link

Asked to confirm that Alpine or their legal representatives objected to Marchino before the appeals court hearing, the Italian said: "We don’t know that. [Unclear] FIA know as well. We have no idea this guy was linked with McLaren.

"We go to the hearing with McLaren and we see it was very funny because this judge was not a judge, he was a prosecutor. It was four judges. This one was really a prosecutor against the FIA, against to us, against to FOM.

"I mean, after that we found out, after the meeting, logically, not before, we found out this guy was linked with the McLaren team. This is what I think. So. it’s quite unfair if some of the judges is linked with one of the teams that is fighting with us."

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Written by

Chris Deeley - Editor

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