• Singapore crashgate scandal

Symonds to join Briatore's FIA vendetta

Pat Symonds will join his former Renault boss Flavio Briatore in appealing against the FIA ban he received for his part in the race fixing scandal at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. In documents seen by The Guardian Briatore is hoping to overturn his life-time ban from motorsport as well as seeking €1 million (US$1.5 million) in compensation, while Symonds is looking for an annulment of his five year ban.

In September the FIA World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) ruled that Symonds, Briatore and second driver Nelson Piquet Jnr had colluded to cause an accident early in the 2008 night race. The resulting safety car period allowed Renault's number one driver Fernando Alonso to make the most of an otherwise compromised race strategy and take a crucial first victory of the season for the French squad.

However, Briatore claims the WMSC's ruling is in conflict with the FIA's International Sporting code as well as French law. The flamboyant Italian also claims the decision was a product of former FIA President Max Mosley's personal desire for revenge.

"The decisions to carry out an investigation and to submit it to the WMSC were taken by the same person, Max Mosley, the FIA president," reads Briatore's statement. It then claims Mosley "assumed the roles of complainant, investigator, prosecutor and judge," before adding that the hearing breached the "most basic rules of procedure and the rights to a fair trial".

The statement suggests both Mosley and F1 ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone had reason to hold a vendetta against the former Renault boss, because of Briatore's involvement in the Formula One Teams' Association's threat to create a rival championship to F1.

"Mr Briatore had, in the constructors' names, in fact threatened the FIA and the FOM (Formula One Management) group ... to instigate a parallel competition, organised without the FIA and without the FOM as rights manager," claim the documents.

Further to that, Briatore claims Ecclestone, who also sits on the WMSC, had a vested interest in diverting punishment away form the Renault team and towards the individuals involved.

"[Ecclestone] took part and was able to vote in the deliberations of the World Council, and was a directly interested party in Renault not suffering a sanction that might discourage it from continuing its participation in the Formula One world championship and could, moreover, be hostile to Mr Briatore as a result of stances taken by him during the previous year on behalf of the constructors involved in Formula One," it said.

The case will be heard in Paris at the Tribunal de Grand Instance on November 24.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.