Andrea Stella has publicly accused Alpine’s senior advisor Flavio Briatore of delivering an "insult" to McLaren by insinuating that a member of the FIA International Court of Appeal had a personal connection with the rival team. The controversy erupted after the appeal court announced on Friday that the penalties imposed on Alpine driver Pierre Gasly at the Monaco Grand Prix in June would be reinstated, following a successful challenge from McLaren and Red Bull. Gasly crossed the finish line in third place at the Principality of Monaco, but two five‑second penalties for exceeding the pit‑lane speed limit were applied after the race, dropping him down the order.
Alpine exercised its right of review and secured a temporary withdrawal of those penalties five days later, which briefly restored Gasly to the podium. The court’s latest decision reverses that relief, moving Gasly back to seventh in the official results. Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar inherits third place, while McLaren’s Oscar Piastri climbs to fourth.
During the press conference that followed the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, the tension between the two camps became palpable. Alpine’s executive adviser Briatore, who was present in the media pool, seized the opportunity to question the impartiality of one of the three judges on the panel.
He claimed that the judge had attended a 2018 charity event in California where two of the three McLaren cars were donated, suggesting a "working relationship" that could compromise the judge’s neutrality. "It’s very unfair, firstly, but we accept the decision," Briatore said, before adding that the third judge seemed to act more like a prosecutor than an impartial arbiter. "He is very linked with the McLaren company. We have a nice picture of this guy at the speech for McLaren in 2018.
It was quite unfair that one of the judges was linked with a team protesting us," he asserted. Briatore further alleged that the judge had been "very nasty" to Alpine representatives during the hearing and hinted that Alpine might explore legal recourse.
The International Court of Appeal responded the next morning with a statement acknowledging the public comments but defending the integrity of its process. The statement emphasized that all judges are appointed according to FIA statutes, must disclose interests annually, sign declarations of independence for each case, and are subject to strict confidentiality and impartiality rules. It also noted that no party raised objections to the composition of the panel either at the start or the conclusion of the hearing. The FIA underscored that its panels are deliberately diverse, drawing judges from different cultural and geographic backgrounds to ensure a breadth of legal traditions and perspectives.
This diversity, the FIA argued, strengthens the fairness and credibility of the process and guarantees access to a fair trial. The court concluded that while decisions can be interpreted in various ways, the proceedings were conducted to the highest standards and the judges’ integrity remains unquestioned. Sky Sports reported that McLaren has categorically denied any connection with the judge in question. Initially, Stella chose not to engage with Briatore’s accusations, but he later threatened legal action, prompting Stella to respond.
"I find that this conference is going in this direction quite insulting for McLaren, for the reputation of a team that deserves a lot of respect," Stella said. "If anybody makes these kinds of serious allegations in a public forum, they must take responsibility for what they say." Stella defended the purpose of the appeal, stating that McLaren’s primary concern was to clarify the sporting regulations for the benefit of the sport, not merely to gain two points for Oscar Piastri, who is not a championship contender this season. "We had concerns beyond the fact that we might have lost two championship points – probably these two points aren’t going to make any difference," Stella explained. "We were concerned about the application of sporting equality and fairness, and this is important not only for McLaren but for all teams." He added that the hearing attracted representation from every team because the issue of rule interpretation and consistency is fundamental to Formula 1.
"Not only Red Bull applied, but all teams were present in the hearing because this was a very important moment in terms of clarification as to how we apply the rules, as to how we apply consistency," Stella noted. "And also, in this specific case, consistencies that are related to the methodologies that are valid throughout our race weekend." Alpine’s right‑of‑review case succeeded because the team presented new evidence that the stewards had not considered: a miscalculation of the distance in the pit lane that showed Gasly had not actually exceeded the speed limit. The FIA acknowledged this as a "significant and relevant new element" and reinstated the penalties. Other drivers who had received similar speeding sanctions – Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes’s George Russell (whose penalty was later converted to a drive‑through) and McLaren’s Piastri – could not have their penalties reversed because they had already served them during the race.
The broader schedule for the weekend was also highlighted in the original report, listing practice sessions, sprint races, qualifying, and the main Grand Prix events for Formula 1, Formula 2, Formula 3, and the Porsche Supercup. The Italian Grand Prix at Monza, Ferrari’s home race, was set to be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, with streaming options available via NOW without a long‑term contract. In summary, the dispute revolves around allegations of a conflict of interest within the FIA’s appellate panel, a legal challenge that saw Alpine’s penalties reinstated, and a public exchange of accusations between Briatore and Stella. Both parties maintain that the process was fair, while each seeks to protect its reputation and the broader principle of equal treatment under the sport’s regulatory framework.