Flavio Briatore, former boss of the Renault Formula One team, had a life ban imposed by the sport's governing body overturned by a French court yesterday.

The Italian was banned by the International Automobile Federation (FIA) in September for his role in a plot to rig the outcome of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.

"The court ruled the sanction was illegal," the judge told the Paris court. Briatore was awarded 15,000 euros (US$21,680) in compensation.

The FIA's legal team said it would probably be launching an appeal.

Brazilian Nelson Piquet blew the lid off one of Formula One's biggest scandals after being dropped by Renault in July when he told the FIA that he had been ordered to crash deliberately at the 2008 race in Singapore. He said he had done so to bring out the safety car and help his Spanish teammate Fernando Alonso win the race.

Former champion Renault was handed a suspended permanent ban while engineering head Pat Symonds was banned for five years.

Briatore launched his legal case in October, claiming his right to a free and fair defence to the charges was flouted.

Renault meanwhile named unsung Frenchman Eric Boullier to lead the Formula One team into a new era.

The 36-year-old has no Formula One experience and will be one of the youngest principals in a paddock due to be expanded to 13 teams.

However he managed the DAMS team in the junior GP2 series as well as running the French entry in the troubled A1 GP championship.

Boullier is also chief executive of Gravity Sport Management, owned by Luxembourg-based fund Genii capital. Genii chairman Gerard Lopez last month agreed to take a large stake in the former world champions.

"In the past Renault has demonstrated that it is one of the top teams in Formula One and I am sure that with hard work and determination we can challenge at the front once again," Boullier said in a statement.

He added that he would concentrate on the sporting and performance aspects of the team, with Bob Bell, who acted as stand-in principal after Briatore left, overseeing the design office and technical development of the 2010 car.

"We have already had a lot of discussions and we think in the same way. I think that we will work well together," added the Frenchman.

Renault has Poland's Robert Kubica signed up for the coming season but has yet to name his teammate.