Ecclestone: Briatore's punishment was "too harsh"

Bernie Ecclestone believes the FIA’s decision to hand former Renault team boss Flavio Briatore an indefinite ban over the ‘crashgate’ race-fixing scandal, saying the punishment was too harsh.

The formula one supremo spoke out against the severity of the punishment handed to his long-term friend Briatore, just days after the FIA’s ruling at Monday’s World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) hearing in Paris.

Speaking at a media event in Singapore, Ecclestone said he believes it was correct to give Renault a two year suspended ban, but that the FIA went too far when punishing Briatore.

'If you look at it sensibly, the people at the top had not the slightest idea,' said Ecclestone.

'The people in the Renault F1 team had not the slightest idea.

'There were three people who knew what was going on and that is it. No one else was involved.

'Those people have been dealt with – in my view quite harshly in [regards to] Flavio.

'I don't think it was necessary, but I was on the commission so I am probably just as guilty as anyone else. On reflection it wasn't necessary.

'It was too much. Definitely too much.'

However, Ecclestone suggested that Briatore could have avoided such a harsh penalty if he had taken some of the responsibility for organising the plot.

'Firstly Flavio was invited to appear in front of the WMSC and his lawyers wrote and said the FIA have no jurisdiction as far as he is concerned, which was probably right.

'But it was not the right thing to say. It would have been just as easy to go – to say: 'I was caught with my hand in the till, it seemed a good idea at the time, and I am sorry.'

'There is an organisation that works very, very well on that idea – where the people go to a box and confess.

'Honestly, I am a friend of Flavio's.

'He has just handled the whole thing badly.

'He could have handled it in a completely different way, and they would have said, ‘you were a naughty boy' and that would have been the end of it.'

Ecclestone went on to say that it would be unwise of Briatore to take the matter to the civil courts, as he has threatened to do.

'It would be stupid of Flavio to do that. He should ask to be heard by the court of appeal,' Ecclestone said.

'He should appeal to the FIA. If he goes to a civil court I don't think he would win.

'Because the FIA would have to defend and somebody will say that he sent a young guy out to what could have been to his death. So it wouldn't go down too well.'