Is Flavio lobbying for a pardon?

I never spent much time chasing Flavio Briatore around the paddock; not because I found him odious, but because I couldn’t understand a word he said. I’m not the only one – an F1 high-up once told me that for similar reasons, whenever Flavio telephoned him he’d just say yes to everything.

Still, he was a fascinating character, and one of F1’s chief power brokers by dint of his friendship with Bernie Ecclestone and his network of F1 driver management contracts (not to mention his lucrative involvement in GP2 and related businesses). Besides keeping him plugged in to an inordinate number of revenue streams, this made him a far more influential figure in F1 than many people give him credit for.

It is for this reason that he has embarked on what appears to be the fools’ errand of launching a civil action in the French courts against the FIA. His lifetime ban from motorsport was calculated not only to deny him income but chiefly to exclude him from that which he held most dear: his seat at the top table of international motorsport; and his status as second only to Ecclestone among F1’s movers and shakers. Acquisition of money and dispensation of power; shorn of these facilities, he is just one of the little people.

The court will reach a judgement early next month and it is tricky to predict the outcome. He was caught bang to rights in the race-fixing scandal and failed to turn up at the World Motor Sport Council meeting that determined his fate; and yet it is possible that his claims about the punishment being excessive – and motivated by Max Mosley’s personal desire for ‘revenge’ – may find a sympathetic ear (not on this blog, since you ask).

It says much about the arrogance of power that Briatore thinks he can erase the stain of his loathsome conduct. He doesn’t trouble himself with what the man on the street thinks. What matters to him is to regain some grip on the reins of power: the who-goes-where of the driver market and the what-goes-where of engine, chassis and tyre contracts.

So I was interested to hear in Monaco last week that the French court may not be Flavio’s final port of call. Some say that he and his people are already lobbying the new FIA president for an official pardon.

Stranger things have happened. Remember Richard Nixon?

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  • Comments (6)
    • Craig
    • December 17th, 2009

    How can you say this about Briatore? Under his management the team won world championships with Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso, and became known for their cost efficiency. His actions in Singapore may have been deplorable but the punish ment is too big to fit the crime.

  1. If Flavio expects a pardon from Jean Todt, I think he is going to fail. After spurning the entire FIA process, he can’t expect mercy from the head of that process, especially since Jean still works pretty closely with fellow senator and original devisor of Flavio’s fate, Max Mosley.

    The French courts, on the other hand…

    • Steven Roy
    • December 17th, 2009

    I think this was clearly one of Max’s grudge penalties like the obscene McLaren fine. I think Briatore’s punishment was over the top when the team was allowed to go free. It is a long standing rule of motor sport that the entrant is responsible for the conduct of its people. Besides Renault was not exactly squeaky clean. They were caught bang to rights with a load of McLaren data and allowed to go free so you would think a second huge offence would result in some kind of serious penalty.

    I would have no problem with all involved being given life bans but the idea that Flavio should be penalised in the way he has while Renault is allowed to carry on unimpeded is not only wrong but against the rules of the sport.

  2. Flav simply got lucky with Schumi and Renault 2005/06 titles. The design team was good, the drivers were great. He was just speaking Italian English for the cameras and rattling his jewelry while the engineers were doing their job. Because otherwise you can’t explain 2007-2009 Renault situation. Old methods were clearly not working, he became a despot.

    I don’t feel sorry for the man; you play with matches, you get burned. I just hope this Lopez bloke doesn’t put someone like Flav in charge at Renault, Bob Bell is a great guy.

  3. Steven Roy :I think this was clearly one of Max’s grudge penalties like the obscene McLaren fine. I think Briatore’s punishment was over the top when the team was allowed to go free. It is a long standing rule of motor sport that the entrant is responsible for the conduct of its people. Besides Renault was not exactly squeaky clean. They were caught bang to rights with a load of McLaren data and allowed to go free so you would think a second huge offence would result in some kind of serious penalty.
    I would have no problem with all involved being given life bans but the idea that Flavio should be penalised in the way he has while Renault is allowed to carry on unimpeded is not only wrong but against the rules of the sport.

    Pardon, what’s Renault people in France had to do with this whole thing? Renault staff at Enstone are great guys who work hard (had the pleasure to meet a few people personally). Should they be penalized for something that a couple of greedy blokes did? I sense Joe Saward influence there: McLaren and Williams are the most honest teams while others are not on the level.

    • Steven Roy
    • December 17th, 2009

    Pardon, what’s Renault people in France had to do with this whole thing? Renault staff at Enstone are great guys who work hard (had the pleasure to meet a few people personally). Should they be penalized for something that a couple of greedy blokes did? I sense Joe Saward influence there: McLaren and Williams are the most honest teams while others are not on the level.

    Who said anything about France? The team is the entrant and the team should be punished. McLaren were fined $100 million for having possession of Ferrari data but Renault were allowed to walk free when they were found with McLaren data. Then we have the Singapore crash and again the team goes free. Under the rules of the sport the entrant is responsible for the conduct of any of its employees therefore it is unreasonable for the employees to be punished and the entrant not. The people in the Renault main board were well aware of the dubious reputation of the team in the Benetton days. Then they were caught with McLaren data so it is not unreasonable to have expected them to take action to correct the behaviour. Since they allowed Briatore to continue unhindered they were in no position to complain if the team had been hammered.

    You are wrong about me being influenced by Joe because he believes it was right that the team was not punished and Briatore and Symonds were so our positions are very different.

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