Briatore says FIA hearing was 'a sham'

Briatore said the FIA had held secret negotiations before what he labelled as a "sham hearing".

Responding to the FIA's criticism for having leaked documents about his legal case against the governing body to the press, the Italian said he had nothing to hide and that the documents were not confidential.

"The FIA neglects to mention that, according to declarations by one of its own vice-presidents to the media, the world council's decision was rather the outcome of secret negotiations on the eve of the sham hearing," Briatore's statement said, according to Reuters.

The former Renault boss said former FIA president Max Mosley had been "clearly blinded by an excessive desire for personal revenge."

Briatore was banned from the sport for life in September after being found guilty of being part of the plot to fix the result of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.