The FIA Court of Appeal has rejected claims made by Alpine team boss Flavio Briatore, who accused one of the judges in a recent case of having "links" with McLaren. These allegations came after a ruling that reinstated a penalty against Alpine driver Pierre Gasly from the Monaco Grand Prix. The penalty dropped Gasly to seventh place in the race, while three Red Bull drivers and one McLaren driver moved up in the points standings. The court explained that its judges are required to maintain independence and confidentiality in accordance with FIA judicial and disciplinary rules. Each judge must also submit an annual disclosure of personal interests to the FIA compliance officer and sign a declaration of independence for every case they handle. The court emphasized that all parties involved in the case were given the opportunity to raise concerns about the proceedings or the composition of the court before and after the hearing, but no such issues were brought up. Briatore's claim was based on an alleged connection between the judge and McLaren, citing a charity auction in California in 2018 that both attended. Briatore said that the judge had "links" with McLaren due to the presence of two or three McLaren cars at the event. He stated that he discovered this connection after the hearing and did not raise it before the court. McLaren has strongly refuted Briatore's claims, calling them unfounded and expressing frustration that the allegations were made public. Andrea Stella, McLaren’s team principal, attended the same news conference where Briatore made his comments and criticized the direction of the event as "quite insulting" to McLaren. The FIA Court of Appeal reiterated its commitment to the independence and impartiality of its judges and the integrity of the judicial process.