( CNN ) -- Flavio Briatore is free to return to Formula One in 2013 after reaching an out of court settlement with the sport 's governing body , FIA . Briatore , former team principal at Renault , was originally banned for life by the FIA after allegations he was involved in a conspiracy in which Nelson Piquet Jnr deliberately crashed at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix in order to help team-mate Fernando Alonso win . In January , Briatore succeeded in getting his ban overturned in a French court , saying the ruling had restored his `` dignity and freedom . '' The court also overturned the lifetime ban imposed on former Renault engineering director Pat Symonds for the same incident . But the FIA launched an appeal against the decision , before an announcement that they had settled their case with Briatore out of court . Briatore agreed to recognize `` his share of responsibility for the deliberate crash , '' according to FIA but insisted he accepted no personal guilt for the incident . An FIA statement read : `` After discussions between their lawyers and those of the FIA , Mr Flavio Briatore and Mr Pat Symonds have each made a settlement offer to the FIA President with a view to putting an immediate end to the legal proceedings . `` Each of them recognizing his share of responsibility for the deliberate crash involving the driver Nelson Piquet Junior at the 2008 Grand Prix of Singapore , as `` Team Principal '' of Renault F1 where Mr Flavio Briatore is concerned , they have expressed their regrets and presented their apologies to the FIA . `` They have undertaken to abstain from having any operational role in Formula One until 31 December 2012 , as well as in all the other competitions registered on the FIA calendars until the end of the 2011 sporting season . `` They have also abandoned all publicity and financial measures resulting from the judgment of 5 January 2010 , as well as any further action against the FIA on the subject of this affair . `` The FIA President has considered that it is in the best interests of the FIA not to allow the perpetuation of these legal disputes , which have received a great deal of media coverage and which , regardless of the outcome , are very prejudicial to the image of the FIA and of motor sport , and thus to accept this settlement solution , thereby putting an end to this affair . '' The Singapore incident came to light after Piquet Jr. was sacked and then went public with his admission of involvement . Briatore issued his own statement to the official Formula One Web site stating that he recognized his share of responsibility `` without any admission of a personal guilt in these events and without any recognition of the fact that the decision of the World Council rendered against him would have been well-founded . ''
Flavio Briatore free to return to Formula One in 2013 after settling legal case with FIA . Briatore overturned a lifetime ban from the sport 's governing body in January . Italian was former owner of Formula One team Renault . His ban was imposed after the 'crashgate ' scandal at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix .