Briatore found guilty of tax evasion and faces a year in jail

An Italian criminal court in Genoa has found former F1 boss Flavio Briatore guilty of tax evasion.

La Gazzetta dello Sport said the matter involved his luxury yacht Force Blue, which has been seized, with the former Renault chief sentenced to one year and 11 months of probation.

Briatore, 65, and fellow directors were found to have used the boat for recreational purposes whilst claiming tax benefits for charters, including fuel and mooring exemptions through the issuing of false invoices.

“This is an outcome we did not expect,” Briatore’s lawyer Massimo Pellicciotta was quoted as saying. “We will appeal this and fight it to the end.”