Flavio Briatore blasts decision to strip Pierre Gasly of Monaco podium

Normally, the FIA Press Conference on the Friday before a Formula 1 race weekend, featuring three team principals, is a standard affair. Upgrades are discussed, expectations are shared for the upcoming weekend, and media members try to pry into upcoming driver transfer decisions. There are moments when those Friday press conferences can get a little emotional, such as the presser held before the 2024 United States Grand Prix, when Laurent Mekies of Visa Cash App Racing Bulls had to address the decision to part ways with Daniel Ricciardo.

Friday ahead of the 2026 Italian Grand Prix was a step up from that moment.

Hours after the FIA Court of Appeals reinstated a pair of five-second penalties handed down to Pierre Gasly at the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix — penalties which were rescinded following an Alpine from Alpine, which promoted Gasly to a podium finish — Alpine senior advisor Flavio Briatore took to the couch alongside Ferrari’s Fred Vasseur and Andrea Stella from McLaren.

Briatore was anything but pleased, and with McLaren and Stella one of the teams that appealed the right of review, the Alpine boss focused his frustration on one of the men sitting alongside him.

Holding a piece of paper in his hand, Briatore began the press conference as follows:

This is very unfair. But you know, we accept the decision, but what is very strange was four judges in the panel. One of the judges act like a prosecutor. This is not a big problem. The problem is he’s very linked with the McLaren company, because we have a nice picture of this guy at a speech for McLaren in 2018 in MSO, Beverly Hills. He has a foundation, it’s called One Drop foundation, and McLaren gave two, three McLaren cars. This was quite unfair. One of the judges was linked with a team which was processing us.

Stella focused his initial comments on the decision — calling it “important” as it deals with a “foundational” principle of motorsport — but Briatore was not done. The Alpine senior advisor elaborated moments later:

Very nice talking about the point one, one but what is unfair is some judge was linked with McLaren. This is unfair. The judge normally needs to be independent, completely. And this judge, the name is, it’s kind of an Italian name, but he’s American, Filippo Marchino. Filippo Marchino is a judge, he was very nasty during the hearing, was acting as a prosecutor. And after, we found out what is the reason why so nasty, this guy. He is very linked with McLaren. This I notice. So whatever Stella said, for the sport, for this, first I think someone, where you have the judgement, the judge needs to be independent. And not somebody doing the speech for McLaren and somebody using the McLaren car in the charity. This is the point. After that, the point one, one, three, two, four, five, I don’t care. I care… I’m very surprised this guy have the link with McLaren.

Later in the press conference, Briatore declared that Alpine “accept the decision,” but he left the door open to further judicial review.

Asked by Craig Slater of Sky Sports F1 for further comment, Stella called the allegations of a connection between McLaren and one of the reviewing officials “insulting:”

I find that this conference going in this direction is quite insulting for McLaren, for the reputation of a team that deserves a lot of respect. And if anybody makes these kind of allegations – which seem quite serious – they are going to have to take the responsibility for what they are saying in a public forum. The hearing, the whole International Court of Appeal, was conducted to the highest standards and we should not question this phase like it’s been done.

Briatore had the final word on the subject, when he was asked by Luke Smith of The Athletic to elaborate on his perception of the relationship between the judge involved, and McLaren:

I just said everything. We accept the result of the hearing. What was very disappointing is to find out one of the judges has a very good relationship with McLaren – working relationship, kind of. Only that, nothing… I think so the panel should be completely independent and you don’t need somebody linked with some team, especially the team involved with us in this situation. Only that, nothing… Now we see. We’re thinking about what can we do next.

On the track, Gasly missed the first practice session at Monza, as Paul Aron was driving his car for one of the required rookie driver practice sessions. Gasly was P14 in FP2, and briefly addressed the decision from the FIA Court of Appeals in his post-practice report: “Obviously, we received the news of the Monaco Grand Prix result earlier today. I am of course disappointed, but my focus right now is only on this weekend’s race and maximising the result.”

He’ll get that chance when a new day dawns tomorrow at Monza.