Flavio Briatore alleges judge bias linked to McLaren after Monaco GP appeal ruling

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Flavio Briatore, Alpine’s executive advisor and de facto team principal, has publicly accused one of the judges involved in the recent Monaco Grand Prix appeal hearing of having a conflict of interest due to ties with McLaren. The allegation came in the wake of the International Court of Appeal’s decision to reinstate two five-second penalties against Alpine driver Pierre Gasly, stripping him of his podium finish for a second time. The ruling favored McLaren and Red Bull, who had successfully challenged the original verdict.

The appeal hearing, held shortly before the Italian Grand Prix, concluded that Gasly’s penalties for incidents during the Monaco race were valid, overturning an earlier decision that had removed those penalties. Briatore expressed deep disappointment with the outcome but focused much of his criticism on the conduct and impartiality of the judging panel. He singled out one judge, Filippo Marchino, an American with an Italian surname, accusing him of acting less like an impartial adjudicator and more like a prosecutor during the proceedings.

Briatore claimed that Marchino’s links to McLaren compromised the fairness of the hearing. He pointed to a photograph taken at a McLaren event in Beverly Hills in 2018, where Marchino appeared alongside McLaren representatives. Furthermore, Briatore highlighted that Marchino founded the One Drop Foundation, which had received two or three cars from McLaren as donations. These connections, Briatore argued, created an unacceptable conflict of interest given McLaren’s role as a protester in the appeal against Alpine.

“I think it’s very unfair, first of all, but we accept the decision,” Briatore said in an extraordinary press conference after Friday’s opening practice session at Monza. “What is very strange was the fourth judge in the panel, and one of the judges acted like a prosecutor. For this, [it’s] not a big problem. The problem is, it’s very linked with the McLaren company, because we have a nice picture of this guy at the speech for the McLaren in 2018 in MSO Beverly Hills.” He added, “I think this was quite unfair [that] one of the judges was linked with a team protesting us.”

Gasly’s penalties stemmed from incidents during the Monaco GP that the stewards deemed warranted time penalties, which ultimately affected the race result and the championship points awarded. The reinstatement of these penalties after the appeal hearing has significant implications for Alpine’s standing and the distribution of points among their rivals.

In response to Briatore’s accusations, McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella described the claims as “quite insulting.” Stella’s terse rebuttal underscored the tension between the teams following the contentious appeal process. McLaren has maintained that the appeal was conducted fairly and that the penalties against Gasly were justified based on the race incidents.

Alpine has not ruled out further legal action following the appeal decision and Briatore’s revelations. He indicated that the team was unaware of the judge’s alleged connections to McLaren until after the hearing concluded. “We were very disappointed to find out one of the judges has a very good relationship with McLaren, working relationship kind,” Briatore said. “I think so the panel needs to be completely independent, and you don’t need somebody linked with some team, especially the team involved with us in this situation. Now we think about what we do next” [2][3].

The controversy highlights ongoing concerns about the independence and transparency of FIA judicial panels in Formula 1, particularly when appeals involve teams with significant commercial and competitive stakes. Briatore’s public challenge to the integrity of the hearing process raises questions about how judges are selected and whether conflicts of interest are adequately managed.

As the championship progresses, the fallout from the Monaco appeal and Briatore’s accusations will likely continue to reverberate within the paddock. Alpine’s next steps-whether to pursue further legal avenues or accept the ruling-could set a precedent for how disputes are handled in the sport’s governance. Meanwhile, McLaren’s firm stance suggests the team will defend the appeal outcome vigorously.

The situation remains fluid as the teams prepare for upcoming races, with the Monaco result’s impact on the championship battle still unfolding. Observers will be watching closely to see if Alpine escalates the matter and how the FIA responds to these serious allegations of partiality within its judicial ranks.