Deal allows Briatore's return to Formula One

London: Flavio Briatore may return to Formula One from the start of 2013 after he and Pat Symonds, his former director of engineering at Renault, reached an out-of-court settlement with the sport's governing body intended to draw a line under "Crash-gate."

Briatore, the former team principal, had been banned for life, and Symonds five years, for his involvement in a race-fixing scandal at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. Both bans were overturned by a French court in January who cited "irregularities" in the FIA's disciplinary process, a decision the governing body had vowed to appeal.

However, in a statement on Monday, the FIA, while continuing to insist that Briatore and Symonds were guilty as charged, acknowledged the need for "structural reform" to prevent "other misunderstandings."

And in a clear sign of the leadership of Jean Todt, who took over as FIA president from the more confrontational Max Mosley last autumn, the wording of the statement was a diplomatic attempt for all parties to leave with their heads held high. Briatore, who has always claimed he had nothing to do with the scandal, is supposed to have "apologised" to the FIA but he was allowed some wriggle room, accepting responsibility only indirectly in his capacity as team principal.

Both he and Symonds were said to have "abstained" from having any operational role in F1 until 2013, and in all other FIA competitions until 2012. Briatore said in a statement it was he who had "informed the FIA of his intention" not to return to F1 before 2013.