Andrea Stella has publicly accused Alpine’s senior adviser Flavio Briatore of delivering an "insult" to McLaren by insinuating that a judge on the FIA International Court of Appeal had a personal connection to the team. The controversy erupted after the appeal court announced on Friday that the penalties imposed on Alpine driver Pierre Gas‑ly during the Monaco Grand Prix in June would be reinstated, following a successful challenge from McLaren and Red Bull.
Gas‑ly originally crossed the finish line in third place at 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 Alpine exercised a right‑to‑review appeal, and the penalties were temporarily withdrawn five days later. The recent court decision reversed that relief, reinstating the sanctions and moving Gas‑ly back to seventh in the official results. The adjustment promoted Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar onto the podium in third, while McLaren’s Oscar Piastri advanced to fourth.
During the Italian Grand Prix press conference – the same weekend that saw Alpine’s executive adviser Briatore and McLaren team principal Stella sharing the stage – the two men engaged in a heated exchange. Alpine issued a brief statement shortly after the court’s ruling, expressing disappointment with the outcome but also acknowledging the panel’s decision from the hearing in Paris. Briatore, however, took a markedly different tone a few hours later.
He alleged that one of the four judges on the panel had a "working relationship" with McLaren, suggesting a conflict of interest that could have compromised the fairness of the proceedings. "It’s very unfair, firstly, but we accept the decision," Briatore said, before adding that the third judge on the panel behaved more like a prosecutor than an impartial arbiter. He pointed to a charity event in California in 2018 where the judge was photographed alongside McLaren representatives, noting that "two of three McLaren cars" were donated at that occasion. "We have a nice picture of this guy at the speech for McLaren in 2018," Briatore remarked, implying that the judge’s prior association made his involvement in the case questionable.
He further accused the judge of being "very nasty" to Alpine’s representatives during the hearing and hinted that Alpine was "thinking about" taking legal action. The International Court of Appeal (ICA) responded the following morning, acknowledging that public comments had questioned the independence and impartiality of its judges. The ICA emphasized that the appointment and participation of the judges adhered to FIA judicial procedures and the International Bar Association’s guidelines on conflicts of interest. All judges are elected by the FIA General Assembly, often on the recommendation of a group of at least five F1 teams, and are required to disclose any interests annually, sign a declaration of independence for each case, and abide by strict confidentiality rules.
The statement continued: "At both the beginning and conclusion of the hearing, the parties were invited to raise any issue concerning the proceedings or the composition of the Court. None did so. No objection was raised during the hearing concerning the manner in which the Court questioned the witness or conducted the proceedings." The ICA also highlighted the importance of assembling panels with judges from diverse cultural and geographical backgrounds to ensure a multiplicity of legal traditions and perspectives, thereby strengthening the fairness and credibility of the process. Sky Sports reported that McLaren maintains there is no link between the team and the judge in question.
Initially, Stella chose not to answer Briatore’s accusations, but he eventually responded, warning that such allegations were damaging to McLaren’s reputation. "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. He added that anyone making serious allegations in a public forum must be prepared to take responsibility for their statements.
Stella also defended the purpose of the appeal, stressing 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 sporting regulations for the benefit of the sport as a whole. "We had concerns which were beyond the fact that we might have lost two championship points, probably these two points aren't going to make any difference," he explained. "We were concerned about the application of sporting equality and fairness, and this is important. And this is not only important for McLaren." He further noted that the hearing attracted attention from all teams because it addressed a fundamental issue of rule consistency across the race weekend.
"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 said. "And also, in this specific case, consistencies that are related to the methodologies that are valid throughout our race weekend." Alpine ultimately won its right‑to‑review case after presenting new evidence that the stewards deemed a "significant and relevant new element" – an incorrect distance calculation in the pit lane that demonstrated Gas‑ly was not actually speeding.
The same speeding infraction had been applied to Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes’ George Russell (whose penalty was later converted into a drive‑through) and McLaren’s Piastri. Because those drivers had already served their penalties during the race, the sanctions could not be reversed. The episode underscores the delicate balance between sporting justice and perceived conflicts of interest in Formula 1’s adjudication system.
While the FIA insists its processes meet the highest standards of independence, teams continue to scrutinise every decision that could affect points, prize money, and reputations. The ongoing dialogue between Alpine, McLaren, and the FIA’s courts will likely shape how future appeals are handled, especially as the sport moves deeper into the 2024 season with the Italian Grand Prix at Monza looming. For fans following the drama, the schedule for the upcoming weekend includes F3 and F2 support races, practice sessions, qualifying, and the main event at Monza, all broadcast live on Sky Sports F1. Viewers are encouraged to use the Chrome browser for optimal video playback.