Andrea Stella has publicly accused Alpine’s senior figure Flavio Briatore of "insulting" McLaren by suggesting that a judge on the FIA International Court of Appeal had a personal link to the rival team. The controversy erupted after the appellate body announced on Friday that the sanctions imposed on Alpine driver Pierre Gasly during the Monaco Grand Prix in June would be reinstated, following a successful challenge by McLaren and Red Bull. Gasly had crossed the finish line in third place, 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Alpine exercised its right of review and, five days later, the penalties were temporarily withdrawn. The appeal court’s latest decision reverses that relief, moving Gasly back to seventh in the official results. Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar inherits the podium spot in third, while McLaren’s Oscar Piastri climbs to fourth. During the press conference at the Italian Grand Prix, which also featured Alpine adviser Briatore and McLaren team principal Stella, the two men clashed in a dramatic exchange.
Alpine issued a brief statement immediately after the court’s ruling, expressing disappointment but also acknowledging the panel’s decision from the hearing in Paris. Briatore, however, took a different tone a few hours later. He alleged that one of the four judges on the panel had a "working relationship" with McLaren, describing the situation as "very unfair" even though Alpine accepted the verdict.
"The third judge acted almost like a prosecutor," Briatore said, adding that the judge had been photographed at a 2018 charity event in California where, according to Briatore, two of the three McLaren cars were donated. "We have a nice picture of this guy at the speech for McLaren in 2018," he claimed, suggesting a conflict of interest that could have influenced the outcome. Briatore went on to say the judge had been "very nasty" to Alpine representatives during the hearing and hinted that Alpine was "thinking about" taking legal action over the perceived bias. The International Court of Appeal responded on Saturday, acknowledging public concerns about the independence of its judges.
The court stressed that the appointment of judges follows FIA statutes, the IBA Guidelines on Conflicts of Interest, and strict confidentiality and independence rules. Each judge signs a declaration of independence for every case, and parties are invited to raise any objections at the start and end of the hearing. No objections were raised in this instance. The ICA further explained that its panels are deliberately composed of judges from diverse cultural and geographical backgrounds to ensure a broad range of legal traditions and perspectives, thereby strengthening the fairness and credibility of the process.
It affirmed confidence in the integrity of the proceedings and reiterated its commitment to impartiality. Sky Sports reported that McLaren maintains there is no connection between the team and the judge in question. Initially, Stella declined to comment on Briatore’s accusations, but later he warned that making such serious allegations in a public forum carries responsibility. "I find this conference is turning into an insult to McLaren and to a team that deserves respect," Stella said.
"If anyone makes these kinds of claims, they must be prepared to stand behind them publicly." Stella also emphasized that McLaren’s motivation was not to gain two championship points for Piastri—who is not a title contender this season—but to clarify the application of the sport’s sporting regulations. "We were concerned about the principle of sporting equality and fairness, not merely about two points that probably won’t change anything," he explained.
He added that all teams, not just Red Bull, were present at the hearing because the issue of rule consistency is crucial for the entire sport. Alpine’s right‑of‑review case succeeded because the team presented new evidence showing that the distance calculation used to assess Gasly’s pit‑lane speed was incorrect, meaning the French driver had not actually exceeded the limit.
By contrast, Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes’ George Russell and McLaren’s Piastri had all received similar speeding penalties earlier in the season, but those penalties had already been served during the race and could not be retroactively removed. The broader schedule for the weekend was also outlined: on Saturday, September 5, the F3 sprint race began at 8:25 a.m., followed by practice sessions for the Italian Grand Prix, the F2 sprint, and qualifying.
Sunday, September 6, featured the F3 feature race, the F2 feature race, the Porsche Supercup, and the main Grand Prix event at Monza, with live coverage on Sky Sports F1 and streaming via NOW. In summary, the dispute centers on whether a judge’s alleged past association with McLaren compromised the impartiality of the FIA’s appellate panel.
While Briatore argues there is a conflict, the ICA insists its procedures meet the highest standards of independence. Stella, defending McLaren, insists the focus remains on ensuring consistent rule enforcement across the sport, rather than on any individual points tally. The situation highlights the delicate balance between legal scrutiny, team politics, and the need for transparent, fair adjudication in Formula 1.