The FIA Appeals Court responded to Briatore's accusations.

      On Friday at a press conference, FIA President Flavio Briatore, commenting on the decision of the FIA International Court of Appeal (ICA) to reinstate Pierre Gasly's penalty for speeding in the pit lane in Monaco, accused one of the judges of bias and connections with McLaren. Today, the court issued an official statement responding to Briatore's accusations.

      “The FIA courts are aware of public comments questioning the independence and impartiality of the panel of judges that made the decision in case ICA-2026-06-07-08-09,” the published statement reads. “The FIA courts would like to emphasize that the appointment and participation of judges in this case, as in any other case, were carried out in accordance with applicable FIA judicial procedures and customary practices, which are based on the highest standards, such as the IBA Guidelines on Conflicts of Interest in International Arbitration.

      All judges are elected by the FIA General Assemblies, some of them, in accordance with the FIA statute, upon the proposal of a group consisting of at least five Formula 1 teams.

      All judges are required to comply with the independence and confidentiality requirements contained in the FIA Judicial and Disciplinary Rules, to disclose information about their interests annually to the FIA compliance officer, and to sign a special declaration of independence for each specific case, taking into account the matter at hand and the parties involved, which is sent to the parties.

      At both the beginning and the end of the hearing, the parties were invited to raise any issues regarding the proceedings or the composition of the court, but no one did. During the hearing, there were no objections raised regarding how the court questioned witnesses or conducted the proceedings.

      The ICA emphasizes the importance of forming a panel of judges from different cultural and geographical regions. This helps ensure that discussions and debates reflect a diversity of legal traditions, viewpoints, and approaches, further strengthening fairness, independence, trust in the process, and access to a fair trial.

      The court's decision may leave room for various interpretations and comments regarding its legal force – this is fair and accepted by all judges. The court is confident in the validity of the proceedings and the integrity of the judges. The FIA courts remain committed to the independence and impartiality of their judges, as well as the integrity of the judicial process.

      Laurent Anselmi (President of the ICA and the FIA Judges' Congress), Rui Botica Santos (President of IT and Vice President of the Judges' Congress), Waltraud Wünsch (Vice President of the ICA), and Gérard Martin (Vice President of IT).