The FIA have finally drawn a line under their bitter battle with Flavio Briatore over the 'crash-gate' scandal. Motor sport's world governing body banned Briatore from Formula One for life after he was found guilty of ordering Nelson Piquet Jnr to deliberately crash his Renault in the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. Earlier this year, the Tribunal de Grande Instance in Paris overturned the judgement, only for the FIA to launch an appeal.
Negotiations between lawyers representing both parties have since continued behind the scenes, resulting in a resolution which sees Briatore and Pat Symonds, the former Renault engineer, suspended from F1 until January 1, 2013. An FIA statement yesterday read: "After discussions between their lawyers and those of the FIA, Mr Flavio Briatore and Mr Pat Symonds have each made a settlement offer to the FIA president with a view to putting an immediate end to the legal proceedings.
"They have undertaken to abstain from having any operational role in Formula One until 31 December 2012, as well as in all the other competitions registered on the FIA calendars until the end of the 2011 sporting season." * PA Sport
