Ex-Renault chief Briatore wins appeal over lifetime F1 ban

A French court in Paris has overturned a lifetime ban from motorsport imposed on former Renault Formula One team boss Flavio Briatore. In September, the International Automobile Federation banned Briatore from the sport for his role in a plot to rig the outcome of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.

A Paris court on Tuesday ruled in favour of former Renault boss  Flavio Briatore, pictured in 2009, overturning a lifetime  suspension from motor sports imposed by Formula One's governing  body, FIA.(AFP/File/Shaun Curry)

The Paris court announced the decision just hours after Renault confirmed Eric Boullier as its new F1 team principal. It said Briatore had not been given the right to properly defend himself during the FIA inquiry. The court said the decision to ban him indefinitely had been taken on the basis of an anonymous testimony, while the Italian's lawyer had not been allowed to question the witness. Lawyers representing Briatore and the FIA both expressed their views towards the decision.