Flavio Briatore is reported to be considering legal action against the FIA following his motor sport ban and it is believed that he is also thinking about setting up a motor series to rival F1.
According to Italian sports newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, Briatore is potentially planning to sue the FIA over his ban from motor sport and will try and prove his innocence in the Crashgate controversy whilst also attempting to win compensation for damages to his image.
The Crashgate scandal, which came about after he reportedly asked driver Nelson Piquet Jr to crash during the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, has also called into question his suitability as an owner of British football team QPR. The Football League are currently assessing his position at the club in light of the FIA ruling earlier this week.
Briatore will now not only not be allowed to be associated with Formula One, he will also not be able to continue managing drivers (including current F1 drivers Fernando Alonso, Mark Webber, Heikki Kovalainen and Romain Grosjean), and will no longer retain a role in the management of GP2.
The news that Briatore may be considering an alternative to Formula One is not new – earlier in the season when F1 teams clashed with the FIA over the proposed budget caps for 2010, Briatore considered the idea of setting up a series to rival F1.
