The FIA is to appeal against the decision taken by a French court to overturn the lifetime ban imposed upon Flavio Briatore.
Governing body decides to appeal against decision to overturn life ban
The FIA has announced that it is to appeal against the decision taken by a French court to overturn the lifetime ban imposed upon former Renault F1 boss Flavio Briatore.
Briatore, together with the team's former engineering chief Pat Symonds, had their bans overturned by the Tribunal de Grande Instance last week after the court ruled they were "irregular" given they were not catered for in the statutes of motorsport's governing body.
The pair were respectively handed a life sanction and five-year ban having been found guilty by the FIA of conspiring to cause a deliberate crash in the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.
In the race, then Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr. acted upon instructions to crash his car in order that team-mate Fernando Alonso - the eventual race winner - could benefit.
The FIA released a statement on Monday stating that, despite the TGI's ruling, it still believes it has a case against the pair.
The statement read: "The president of the FIA has consulted the FIA Senate and the FIA's lawyers about the decision of the Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris of 5 January.
"It was unanimously agreed that an appeal would be prepared.
"In his election campaign last summer, FIA president Jean Todt and his team announced new measures for constructive change, including a disciplinary procedure, would be introduced. Work on this is well advanced.
"Once in place, this will address the issues in the Court's judgement. Nonetheless, an appeal is merited.
"While the appeal is under way, the World Motor Sport Council's decision of 21 September 2009 remains in full effect.
"However, in view of the uncertainty this may create for drivers who may be affected by this decision, the FIA president and FIA Senate have decided that, pending the outcome of the FIA's appeal, superlicences will continue to be issued to qualifying drivers in the usual way.
"The FIA president, the FIA Senate, the World Motor Sport Council, and the FIA's member clubs from all countries will take whatever measures are necessary to ensure the continuing integrity and safety of the sport."
Suspensions still in force
The decision to appeal means the suspensions remain in force, although drivers in Briatore's stable, including Alonso and Mark Webber, who were ordered to find new management or risk losing the 'superlicence' they require to race, will be issued with new ones regardless.
In creating a new disciplinary procedure, new FIA president Jean Todt has also made it clear he wants to strengthen the governing body's own laws that were called into question by both Briatore and the court.
In a statement leaked last November, Briatore said that Todt's predecessor Max Mosley "assumed the roles of complainant, investigator, prosecutor and judge" in what the Italian claimed was a breach of the "most basic rules of procedure and the rights to a fair trial".
In looking to implement new disciplinary procedures, the FIA appears set to appoint an independent body by the end of the year to handle such cases.
