Briatore to Buy Toyota's F1 Operations?

Toyota handing over their F1 operations to Serbian basketball player Zoran Stefanovic may be in doubt, if we were to trust the latest rumors regarding the Japanese team. Although we've reported to you that Toyota is looking for a way to escape potential penalties from the FIA by handing their F1 programme to Stefan Grand Prix (who's CEO is Stefanovic), it now appears former team manager Flavio Briatore has also become part of the equation.

Former racer and TV presenter Tiff Needell echoed some of the rumors in his twitter feed, suggesting that Briatore may be interested in purchasing the Toyota operations in 2010. The only condition would be for him to escape the lifetime ban handed by the International Automobile Federation (FIA) following the crash-gate earlier this season.

Briatore was considered guilty by the FIA for trying to fix the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix and was consequently banned for life from all FIA-sanctioned competitions. Briatore continued to state his innocence and issued a legal case against the ruling body – he already presented his case before the Paris' Tribunal de Grande Instance – claiming an additional $1 million for the FIA damaging his image.

However, it will only be in January next year that the court will issue a definitive decision on the matter.

In case the Paris' court will find the 59-year old Italian not guilty of the FIA charges, it's likely that the ruling body will be obliged to reverse his lifetime ban from the sport. Logically, he would have no problem becoming team manager, team boss or whatever he feels like, within Formula One.

Briatore was initially linked with a potential buyout of the Renault F1 Team earlier this season prior to the burst of the crash-gate scandal. He was reportedly interested in following Ross Brawn's example and buy into the Enstone based team, especially since Renault were at the time rumored to consider quitting the series.