Andrea Stella has publicly accused Alpine’s senior figure 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 team. The controversy erupted after the court on Friday confirmed that the penalties imposed on Alpine driver Pierre Gasly during the Monaco Grand Prix in June would be reinstated, following a successful appeal lodged by McLaren and Red Bull. Gasly had originally crossed the finish line in third place, but two five‑second penalties for exceeding the pit‑lane speed limit were applied, dropping him down the order.
Alpine exercised its right‑to‑review and succeeded in having those penalties withdrawn five days later. The recent court ruling overturns that decision, moving Gasly back to seventh in the official results.
The adjustment also promotes Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar to the podium in third and lifts McLaren’s Oscar Piastri to fourth. During a heated press conference at the Italian Grand Prix, which coincidentally featured Alpine adviser Briatore and McLaren team principal Stella, the two men clashed sharply.
Alpine issued a brief statement moments after the court’s announcement, expressing disappointment with the outcome while 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. "It’s very unfair, first of all, but we accept the decision," he said, before adding, "What’s strange is 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 in question was photographed alongside a McLaren presentation, claiming that two of the three McLaren cars were donated at that occasion. "We have a nice picture of this guy delivering a speech for McLaren in 2018," Briante claimed, "and it was quite unfair that one of the judges was linked to a team that was challenging us." Briatore further accused the judge of being "very nasty" toward Alpine representatives during the hearing and hinted that Alpine was considering legal action over the perceived bias. The International Court of Appeal responded on Saturday, acknowledging that public comments had raised questions about the independence and impartiality of the panel.
The court emphasized that the appointment of its judges follows FIA judicial procedures and adheres to the International Bar Association’s guidelines on conflicts of interest. All judges are elected by the FIA General Assembly, often upon nomination by a group of at least five F1 teams, and are bound by strict independence and confidentiality rules.
They disclose their interests annually to the FIA compliance officer and sign a declaration of independence for each case they hear. The statement noted that both at the start and conclusion of the hearing, the parties were invited to raise any concerns about the composition of the court, and none were raised. No objections were recorded regarding how witnesses were questioned or how the proceedings were conducted. The ICA highlighted the importance of assembling panels with judges from varied cultural and geographic backgrounds to ensure diverse legal perspectives and to reinforce 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 allegations, but later he warned that any unfounded claims could lead to legal repercussions. "I find this conference is turning into an insult to McLaren and to the reputation of a team that deserves great respect," Stella said.
"If anyone makes such serious allegations, they must be prepared to take responsibility for them in a public forum." Stella stressed that the appeal hearing was conducted to the highest standards and should not be questioned. He reiterated that McLaren’s primary aim was to clarify the sporting regulations for the benefit of the sport, not merely to gain two championship points for Piastri, who is not a title contender this season.
"We were concerned about the application of sporting equality and fairness, which matters to all teams, not just McLaren," he explained. "All teams were present at the hearing because it was a pivotal moment for clarifying how the rules are applied consistently throughout a race weekend." Alpine ultimately won its right‑to‑review case by presenting new evidence that the stewards deemed a "significant and relevant new element"—specifically, an error in calculating the distance in the pit lane that indicated Gasly had not actually exceeded the speed limit. By contrast, Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes’ George Russell (whose penalty was later converted into a drive‑through), and McLaren’s Piastri had all received similar speeding sanctions during the race, but because those penalties had already been served, they could not be retroactively removed. The fallout from the dispute continues to dominate the paddock narrative as the teams prepare for the upcoming Monza race, Ferrari’s home Grand Prix.
Fans can follow the action live on Sky Sports F1, with streaming options available through NOW without a long‑term contract. The episode underscores the delicate balance between sporting governance, team interests, and the perception of judicial independence within Formula 1’s highly scrutinized regulatory framework.