Mercedes-Benz Forum banner

The next big F1 scandal: Renault cheated?

4K views 54 replies 11 participants last post by  Teutone 
#1 ·
FIA calls Renault to face cheating charges

04/09/09 18:40

F1-Live.com

Piquet’s Singapore shunt under investigation
with Renault called to face cheating charges.
The FIA today confirmed that Renault has been requested to appear before an extraordinary meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council on Monday 21st September.

In a statement issued this afternoon by the sport’s governing body, the team has been called to answer charges, including a breach of Article 151c of the International Sporting Code. That particular rule regards bringing the sport into disrepute via “any fraudulent conduct or any act prejudicial to the interests of any competition or to the interests of motorsport generally.”

“The team conspired with its driver, Nelson Piquet Jr, to cause a deliberate crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix with the aim of causing the deployment of the safety car to the advantage of its other driver, Fernando Alonso,” reads the statement.

Our report from the inaugural Singapore event was entitled “the cards fall for Fernando Alonso,” and while Piquet’s crash certainly seemed genuine enough at the time, clearly the governing body - via its rumoured tip-off and subsequent investigations - does have some evidence to the contrary.


Should Renault be found guilty of the charges, penalties range from a fine to exclusion from the championship at a time when Formula One CEO Bernie Ecclestone has publically stated he fears the Anglo-French team could leave the series.

"The ING Renault F1 Team acknowledges the FIA’s request for representatives of the team to appear before the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Paris on the 21st of September 2009," the team said in a statement. "Before attending the hearing, the team will not make any further comment."

Click here for our Singapore 2008 race report...

Earl ALEXANDER
© CAPSIS International
 
See less See more
#2 ·
Massa confronted Briatore about Piquet crash

Massa confronted Briatore about Piquet crash

03/09/09 12:00

F1-Live.com

Massa reportedly has his own suspicions
Felipe Massa suspected Nelson Piquet crashed deliberately at Singapore last year and confronted Flavio Briatore about the incident in person, it has emerged.

It had been presumed in recent days that the source of the accusation must have been Piquet and his famous father, still furious after being recently ousted by Renault boss Briatore. But reports this week suggest that Massa immediately suspected that Piquet had been asked to crash on purpose so that the safety car would emerge and the sister Renault of Fernando Alonso would win the race.

"He crashed in a very strange way," TV Globo commentator Reginaldo Leme is quoted as saying. "It struck me when I was talking recently with Felipe Massa. Felipe had gone to Briatore and said, 'This crash was not right, it happened because you wanted it to'.
"

Leme also said other drivers had been suspicious of the Piquet crash.

Massa had led comfortably from pole position in Singapore last September until the Piquet safety car, but when he made his pitstop he then famously drove away with the fuel hose still attached. He lost the championship to Lewis Hamilton by a single point.

E.A. © CAPSIS International
Source: GMM
 
#4 ·
Because the judgement for evil deeds is slow to come, many have it in their heart to do wrong. There is no honour among thieves and Alonso has now been implicated in 2 serious scandals. If in the 'end' his wish is to be a disgraced former champion, then he has succeeded admirably. lol
 
#5 ·
'Piquet's people ratted out Renault?'

Home - Planet-F1 News - Formula One News, Kimi Raikkonen, Max Mosley, Pit Babes, Test Reports, Galleries & Live Coverage... from planet-f1.com

'Piquet's people ratted out Renault'
Saturday 5th September 2009

Nelson Piquet Jr himself or those close to him are believed to the source behind the FIA's investigation into Renault's actions in Singapore last year.

Earlier this week the FIA announced that Renault would face an extraordinary meeting of the World Motor Sport Council to answer charges under Article 151c of the International Sporting Code relating to last year's inaugural night race.

The FIA have accused Renault of having 'conspired with its driver, Nelson Piquet Jr, to cause a deliberate crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix with the aim of causing the deployment of the safety car to the advantage of its other driver, Fernando Alonso.'

The charges come also a full year after the grand prix took place, prompting some speculation as to why now.

And according to The Times, it all stems from Renault's recent sacking of Piquet Jr.

'It is believed the FIA was originally informed of allegations that the Renault team asked Piquet to crash in an attempt to help Alonso, who won the race, by sources close to Piquet, if not by Piquet himself, after his recent dismissal from the team,' the newspaper claims.

In the wake of the allegations, the FIA employed Quest to investigate with the private intelligence agency looking into the incident.

'Investigators have conducted extensive interviews with Renault team members - among them the team principal, Flavio Briatore, who has told friends he knew nothing of the alleged plans, Pat Symonds, the engineering director, and Alonso,' the newspaper continued

'Investigators have also looked at telemetry from Piquet's car and radio transmissions from the Renault pitwall to the Brazilian's car during the race up until the moment he crashed on lap 14. It is thought the radio recordings could be significant in the outcome of the case and may show that Piquet was regularly questioning his pitwall about which lap he was on immediately before the crash.'

Should Renault be found guilty the team could face exclusion and suspension, although many believe they could be banned from Formula One entirely.

Related Links
Renault refuse to comment over FIA charges
 
#6 ·
Race-day meeting key to Renault case

Race-day meeting key to Renault case
autosport.com - the authority on Formula One, F1, MotoGP, WRC, IRL, GP2, F2, A1GP, Le Mans, NASCAR and more

By Jonathan Noble and Michele Lostia Wednesday, September 9th 2009, 16:20 GMT

Nelson Piquet Jr at the 2008 Singapore GPA meeting between Nelson Piquet, Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds hours before last year's Singapore Grand Prix is central to the race fixing allegations surrounding the Renault team, AUTOSPORT has learned.

With the FIA's World Motor Sport Council due to meet on September 21 for Renault to answer charges that the team caused a deliberate crash in Singapore last year to help Fernando Alonso win, sources have confirmed for the first time background details of the case.

AUTOSPORT understands that key to what happened in the race is the discussion that took place in one of Renault's offices at the Singapore track on the Sunday, where race tactics were discussed between Piquet, team principal Briatore and director of engineering Symonds.

Sources claim that in evidence submitted to the FIA by Nelson Piquet, the Brazilian driver says he was asked by Briatore and Symonds to crash deliberately early in the race so as to help Alonso win.

Piquet says that he agreed to do so because he felt uncomfortable about his situation at the team, with Renault having not renewed his contract for 2009 at that time - and Briatore was stalling on making a firm commitment. Piquet suggests that he only went ahead and caused the accident because he felt he would be rewarded for his actions.

In his evidence, Piquet claims that he was taken aside by Symonds after the first meeting and instructured that he should crash on lap 13 or 14, shortly after Alonso's scheduled first stop, at Turn 17.

The reason this part of the track was singled out was because there were no cranes present there to lift the car away, so any accident would virtually guarantee a safety car.

Piquet's claims have, however, been denied by both Briatore and Symonds in documents that are believed to have been submitted with the FIA. Although they confirm that the meeting between the three of them took place, both suggest that it was Piquet's own suggestion to cause an accident.

Sources claim that the Singapore race-fix matter came to light on July 26 - the day of Piquet's last race for Renault in Hungary - when his father Nelson contacted FIA president Max Mosley to make him aware of what had happened.

Piquet Jr. then visited the FIA's headquarters in Paris on July 30 to present a statement to FIA representatives, believed to be stewards' advisor Alan Donnelly, and external investigators from the Quest agency.

Following Piquet's testimony, the three stewards from the Singapore Grand Prix, plus two external investigators from Quest, were flown to the Belgian Grand Prix to conduct interviews with Renault representatives.

A report in Italian magazine Autosprint also suggests that telemetry data from Piquet's car has emerged as another reason why the matter has gone to the WMSC.

At Turn 17 where Piquet crashed, normally the rear wheels of the Renault would lose grip on the exit - requiring the driver to ease off the throttle briefly. However, on the lap he crashed, Piquet kept accelerating even though the rear wheels had lost grip.

Briatore is reported to have claimed that he was: "a victim of extortion by the Piquet family.

"I confirm the meeting with Piquet on Sunday morning, but nothing like that was ever talked about. I also remember that Piquet at Singapore was in a very fragile state of mind. Besides that, there are the audio recordings where I express disappointment when I see on the screens that Piquet had crashed."

Symonds is also reported as saying: "It's true, during the Sunday meeting with Piquet the issue of deliberately causing a SC deployment came up, but it was proposed by Piquet himself. It was just a conversation."

Renault has said it will not comment on the matter officially before the WMSC hearing later this month.
 
#7 ·
So they did talk about it before the race...very interesting. It will be impossible to prove whose idea it was, or whether there was any agreement to take action, i.e. conspiracy. Flavio and Pat could say, "Hey he crashed on his own to try to gain some brownie points with us."
 
#8 ·
Hahaha.....This is the same dimwit... NPJr., who stated Lewis Hamilton was committing career suicide by daring to challenge Falonso at McLaren. What a wanker!
IF....Piquet Jr. was stupid enough to mention such a possibility of crashing on purpose, and the team did not axe him at the time, then ALL of them are guilty and cheats!
Flavio is a sleaze, because he had been implicated in cheating scandals when Schumi was with Benetton.
History will tell the tale, but the smell will take a while to dissipate.....LOL
 
#9 · (Edited)
To think Falonso went to Ron Dennis trying to blackmail him into making Lewis slow down. Falonso said he had Ferrari design plans and would submit them to the FIA if RD did not comply with his evil wishes.

Ron Dennis then immediately called the FIA in Falonso's presence and the corrupt diddlers at the FIA instead punished McLaren and that low-life instigator Alonso went unquestioned and unpunished.

Why didn't the managers at Renault report the same when Piquet Jr. allegedly came up with this devious plan???

Because they are dirty rotten thieving scoundrels!

Well...... Karma is a Bitch and that bitch's name is Nelson Piquet Jr.

LMAO
 
#12 ·
When Heidi Klum, without making any financial demands, later wanted Flav to acknowledge being the father of her child, there was a 'how do I know it's mine' response.
Well he is.

In regard to Flavio, look at the bright side; "Thank God, lack of Character is not contagious."
 
#11 ·
Surprised Alonso backs Briatore amid 'crash-gate' (GMM) Fernando Alonso on Thursday said the 'crash-gate' scandal caught him completely by surprise because he knew nothing about his former teammate Nelson Piquet crashing on purpose during the Singapore grand prix last year.

Spaniard Alonso won the inaugural night race by having pitted on an unusually low-fuel strategy just before the Piquet safety car, and at Monza twelve months on he strongly backed his under-fire boss Flavio Briatore.

"He's always been a nice boss with me. A friend, a boss, he supports my career always," said the 27-year-old double world champion.

"Flavio is one of the good people here and he has all my support, always."

Alonso also had nothing bad to say about the sacked Piquet, and was cautious when asked about what he knows about the saga that could result in hefty penalties or consequences for Renault and its team management.

"This comes as surprise for me. I am not commenting on it," he told reporters in Italy.

"I'm very surprised. I cannot imagine these things, these situations," Alonso added. "It's something that never entered my mind."

When asked by the media ranks to say specifically that he knew nothing about the deliberate crash, Alonso did so, but deferred further comment until after the September 21 hearing of the World Motor Sport Council.

"After the hearing, everything will be clarified and will be the time to say something. But now there's no sense," said Alonso.
 
#13 ·
Piquet given immunity amid crash-gate

Piquet given immunity amid crash-gate

11/09/09 15:59

F1-Live.com

Piquet has given the FIA his side of the situation
Nelson Piquet will not be punished as part of the 'crash-gate' saga, FIA president Max Mosley has revealed during an interview with Auto Motor und Sport.

"No," the Briton said. "We have promised him immunity if he cooperates," Mosley added, referring to the Brazilian driver's sworn statement to the FIA about the Singapore GP crash affair. "We did the same thing two years ago with Alonso in the espionage case.”

The same immunity has not been granted to Alonso, the winner of the event last September, this time around, but Mosley said there is no evidence the Spaniard was a part of the conspiracy.

Asked to compare this scandal with 'spy-gate', Mosley explained: "The problem with McLaren was that they were not telling the truth. But purely regarding what Renault is accused of, this (the crash accusation) is perhaps worse."

Evidence that has been leaking into the media in the past days does not bode well for Renault's chances at the 21 September hearing, but Mosley said the French team must for now be given the benefit of the doubt.


"We do not have enough evidence in hand because we have not heard the story from the perspective of Renault," said the FIA president. "There are always two sides to a coin and we have to respect that."

Mosley admitted that telemetry data in the FIA's possession seems to indicate that Piquet caused the crash deliberately, but he warned that part of Renault's defence might be "numerous similar cases" in which a driver has legitimately lost control in the same way.

Meanwhile, he has bad news for Nico Rosberg, who had hoped that a retrospective disqualification for Alonso would make him a debut GP winner.

"We cannot change the outcome of the race," said Mosley, explaining that after November 30 last year, the 2008 world championship results were set in stone.

Source: GMM
© CAPSIS International
 
#14 ·
I wouldn't put it past Flav. Thats how he got MS his first championship at Benneton!

Ferrari are a laugh of they can complain. They ran a mobile chicane for years to help MS get most of his championship victories.
 
#15 ·
FIA offers Renault official 'immunity' in race-fix row

FIA offers Renault official 'immunity' in race-fix row
F1 | Formula 1 | F1 News | F1 Live - Yahoo! Eurosport UK
Tue, 15 Sep 05:01:04 2009

Buzz Up!

LONDON (AFP) - Formula One's governing body has offered Renault's second-in-command immunity from punishment in exchange for full disclosure about "crashgate," a report said Tuesday.

Pat Symonds, director of engineering at Renault, has been told that if he comes clean over how and why Nelson Piquet junior drove his car into the barriers in Singapore in 2008, he will escape sanctions.

The sanctions could include a life ban from the sport, according to the report in London-based The Times newspaper, which cites unnamed sources.

Former driver Piquet and his father, three-time world champion Nelson Piquet senior, have claimed that the Renault team conspired to fix the outcome of the Singapore Grand Prix, in a blow to the sport's reputation.

The offer of immunity from the International Motorsport Federation (FIA) comes after its stewards investigating the claims interviewed Symonds at the Belgian Grand Prix late last month.

Symonds initially stonewalled when questioned in detail by FIA stewards about claims that he not only asked Piquet to crash in the Singapore race but went through with him where the accident should happen, according to the paper.

After refusing to answer a series of key questions, Symonds remarked at one point: "I have no intention of lying to you. I have not lied to you, but I have reserved my position just a little."

Renault have been summoned to appear before the FIA's International Motor Sport Council in Paris on September 21 to answer the allegations that Piquet was asked to crash his car deliberately into a wall during the race and so facilitate a victory for team-mate Fernando Alonso.

Renault in response have accused Piquet of blackmail and announced they were launching criminal proceedings against him and his father.

Renault F1 boss Flavio Briatore has denied all the accusations against him -- notably conspiring with team management and Piquet to cause a deliberate accident -- saying they were "outrageous lies".
 
#19 ·
Briatore on verge of being driven out of F1 -Daily Mail online

Flavio Briatore is likely to be driven out of Formula One within the next 48 hours unless he can convince Renault they can successfully defend the charge of fixing last season’s Singapore Grand Prix.

The FIA have accumulated a huge weight of evidence against Renault’s flamboyant team principal, all of which Sportsmail has seen, ahead of next Monday’s meeting of the World Motor Sport Council.

Briatore has spent the past fortnight trying to convince the team’s parent company that he did not order Nelson Piquet Jnr to crash his car in the floodlit grand prix, an accident which brought out the safety car that allowed his other driver, Fernando Alonso, to win the race.

It remains to be seen whether they have accepted Briatore’s version of events, though they must surely come to a conclusion as early as Wednesday after FIA president Max Mosley set ‘the middle of the week’ as the deadline for the presentation of Renault’s evidence. By Thursday, at the latest, they must decide whether to back him or sack him.
 
#21 ·
If you lay down with dogs you rise up with fleas.

What a cretin that Briatore guy is. To think he wanted to have criminal charges brought against the Piquet's just days ago and now, here he is unceremoniously dumped and sent packing with his tail between his legs.

The scurvy dogs are gone and so should Falonso's bogus victory be gone too.
 
#23 ·
Briatore and Symonds leave Renault - Yahoo! Eurosport UK


Briatore and Symonds leave Renault

Eurosport - Wed, 16 Sep 16:19:00 2009


Renault parted company with flamboyant Formula One team boss Flavio Briatore and his deputy Pat Symonds after accepting allegations that last year's Singapore Grand Prix was fixed.

The two men were due to appear before the governing FIA in Paris on Monday to face charges, unprecedented even in a sport often mired in controversy, that the team ordered Brazilian Nelson Piquet to crash deliberately to help Spanish team mate Fernando Alonso win.

Renault said in a statement they would not dispute the allegations.

"It (Renault) also wishes to state that its managing director, Flavio Briatore, and its executive director of engineering, Pat Symonds, have left the team," it added.

Italian Briatore led the team to two Formula One constructors' and drivers' championships with Alonso in 2005 and 2006 after also winning titles with Benetton and Michael Schumacher in 1994 and 1995.

A business partner of Formula One's commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone, with the two co-owning Queen's Park Rangers, Briatore is also Alonso's manager.

A familiar face in celebrity magazines, with a jet-setting lifestyle, the perma-tanned nightclub owner is also a leading figure in the Formula One Teams' Association that threatened a breakaway series until recently.

While Briatore focused on business and the bigger picture, Symonds effectively ran the race strategy side and his departure will be a major blow for the team.

No replacements for either man were named.

International Automobile Federation president Max Mosley had already said he considered the case to be more serious than the 2007 spying controversy that cost McLaren a $100 million fine and loss of all their constructors' points.

The FIA's world motor sport council can impose various penalties for fraudulent conduct, including permanently excluding a team from the championship.

Piquet, 24, was dropped by Renault in August after failing to score a point in 10 races and has testified to the FIA that he was told when and where to crash during the night race.

In a statement subsequently leaked to the media, he told FIA investigators he met Symonds and Briatore before the September 28 race in the team boss's office.

"Mr Symonds, in the presence of Mr Briatore, asked me if I would be willing to sacrifice my race for the team by 'causing a safety car'," said Piquet, who was promised immunity from prosecution by the FIA if he told the truth.

The Brazilian added he had been "in a very fragile and emotional state of mind" at the time because of uncertainty about the renewal of his contract for 2009 and hoped his agreement would improve his position.

"Mr Symonds took me aside to a quiet corner and, using a map, pointed me to the exact corner of the track where I should crash," said Piquet in the July 30 statement.

Alonso, who has denied all knowledge of any plot, pitted for fuel on lap 12 and Piquet then crashed at a place where his car could not be easily moved, bringing out the safety car.

The Spaniard went on to win after rivals were penalised for pitting when the safety car was deployed, a rule that has since been changed. The crash caused considerable speculation at the time among rival teams and drivers.

Symonds was evasive in an interview with FIA investigators at the Belgian Grand Prix that was also leaked to the media.

Asked if he had been aware there was going to be a crash on lap 14, he replied: "I don't want to answer that question".

Symonds declared at a later stage: "I have no intention of lying to you. I have not lied to you but I have reserved my position a little."

Renault and Briatore had in turn accused Piquet and his father, a triple world champion and namesake, of false allegations and attempted blackmail and begun criminal proceedings in France.
 
#24 ·
Media: "unclear whether the pair have fallen on their swords or been pushed"

Swift media reaction to Briatore departure

16/09/09 16:42

F1-Live.com

Renault making no further comment until after the hearing
The media read between the lines of Renault's short media statement issued today which announced that the bosses Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds had left the team and that Renault would not dispute allegations they conspired with Nelson Piquet to rig the outcome of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix by faking an accident.

The German press agency DPA said the team had "effectively admitted to race-fixing" ahead of the September 21 hearing of the World Motor Sport Council who have the powers to impose a range of penalties, from fines to permanent exclusion.

"Renault will almost certainly plead for clemency ... as they will claim the actions of two men should not affect the employment of nearly 700 other staff within the team," said the Daily Telegraph.

The Times of London agreed: "(The) governing body is likely to accept that, by admitting its guilt and by removing the conspirators, Renault has gone a long way to clearing this matter up."

The Telegraph said it "unclear whether the pair have fallen on their swords or been pushed" by the French carmaker parent, Renault SA.

Ed Gorman, writing for the Times, made the same conclusion about Renault's guilt, explaining that Wednesday's events had turned "one of the worst examples of pre-meditated cheating in the history of professional sport ... from ... lurid allegations to fact".


Even the wire services made no bones about interpreting Renault's statement. Reuters said "Renault admit race-fixing charge", AFP said the team "partly admit some role in the controversy", while PA said Briatore and Symonds have "fallen on their sword".

There are also other ramifications to consider, such as Briatore's co-ownership with Bernie Ecclestone of the London football club Queens Park Rangers, and - depending on the carmaker's reaction or the WMSC sanction - Renault's significant role in GP2 and other motor racing categories.

Former team boss and owner Eddie Jordan told the BBC: "Will the FA (Football Association) allow him to continue to run a club?"

"As a normal person on the street I think this is a clear-cut admission and I am surprised," he added, explaining that after decades in motor racing, he "can't comprehend" ordering a driver to crash.

Source: GMM
© CAPSIS International
 
#27 ·
James Allen on the Renault scandal

James Allen on the Renault scandal

Wednesday, 16 September 2009 18:44

Renault’s decision not to put up any defence against allegations that it sought to fix the result of last year’s Singapore Grand Prix has left it firmly in the dock heading into next Monday’s World Motor Sport Council meeting.

The team’s two most high-profile senior figures, team principal Flavio Briatore and engineering chief Pat Symonds, have walked the plank – but it is far from clear that their departures will draw a line under the scandal.

ITV.com/F1 columnist James Allen takes stock of Formula 1's latest unsavoury episode and considers where Renault might go from here, as well as reflecting on Briatore's colourful F1 career.


This is a huge day for the sport and for Renault F1 in particular.

Today the car company accepted that they were involved in one of the most audacious and infamous cheating scandals in the sport’s history – issuing a brief statement to the effect that they would not be challenging the allegations at next Monday’s World Council hearing and that Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds had both left the company.

In effect, what Nelson Piquet junior alleged has been accepted by Renault and the question now is: will they stay in the sport?

I strongly believe that the FIA would have thrown them out of Formula 1, maybe even out of all motorsport, if they had gone to Paris on Monday and been found guilty.

And let’s not forget that Renault have a big involvement in international motorsport. They run GP2, along with Bernie Ecclestone, they have the World Series, Formula Renault, Clio Cup racing and much more besides.

By coming clean and removing the management figures responsible for this disgraceful plot, they avoid that and probably avoid a really substantial fine too.

McLaren were hit with a $100 million fine because they lied to the first World Council hearing and were only found out at the second hearing because of the emails of Pedro de la Rosa and Fernando Alonso.

The FIA didn’t like the deception and cover-up aspect of this and hammered them for it.

Here Renault have taken the opposite approach. They hope to get off lightly because of that. But we may still lose the team at the end of the year.

Renault were not in the strongest position anyway – lying eighth in the world championship, with no title sponsor in place for next year, likely to lose their champion driver Fernando Alonso and now without their engineering and tactical genius in Pat Symonds.

But there are many really great people at Renault, lots of talent and experience, and one hopes that the company will wish to carry on and put all this behind them.

If they don’t it’s not clear what would happen to Red Bull and Williams, one of whom is currently a Renault engine customer and the other wants to become one.

As for the two figures who have departed, we should be clear that they have not been found guilty, but the implication of Renault’s decision is that the French manufacturer believes they were guilty.

Symonds accepts that a meeting took place with Piquet and that they discussed deliberately crashing, but says it was Piquet’s idea. Briatore denies everything.

If you read the stewards’ report you will see that they weren’t sure whether Briatore was actually involved in this, but it was clear that they felt Symonds was central to it.

The reason why today was the crunch day was because the team had to present a defence dossier to the FIA and so it was ‘put up or shut up’ time.

The whole episode has been really bad for the sport.

Yes it’s been dealt with, but only because the perpetrator came forward to the Federation, not because the Federation was on to it, committed to weeding out cheating.

F1 has had a tough time with its credibility lately, convincing people that it is a sport and not just a cynical show.

And now to add to the humiliation the public sees that people in the sport have such a skewed moral compass that they will plot to crash a car on purpose to fix a result (which stands, by the way – it cannot be reversed now).

Piquet comes out of it terribly. The legal complaint of blackmail Briatore and Renault have made against him in France presumably still stands because that wasn’t contingent on the whether the allegations were true or false, merely that they contend the blackmail was attempted.

Briatore was one of the larger-than-life figures in the paddock of whom there are a dwindling number.

He tried to modernise the sport to get the old school racing purists to see that it was a show more than anything else and that they should focus on that, but he kept talking about it and never achieved it.

He was saying the same things on behalf of FOTA recently that he was saying in the early 1990s.

Formula 1 moves on quickly and it will do so again after this.
 
#30 ·
BBC SPORT Piquet 'now unemployable in F1

BBC SPORT
Piquet 'now unemployable in F1'

By Martin Brundle
BBC F1 analyst

Formula 1 is nervously awaiting the outcome of the inquiry into Nelson Piquet Jr's claim to have crashed intentionally under instructions during last year's Singapore Grand Prix in order to help his Renault team-mate Fernando Alonso's race.

We will have an answer around 21 September and before the next GP in Singapore, ironically where all the troubles began last year.

The word in the paddock is that team boss Flavio Briatore will step away from F1 - possibly even before the hearing.

Briatore and director of engineering Pat Symonds deny the allegations that they asked Piquet to crash and Renault have stated that they have initiated a criminal case against the Piquets for extortion and attempted blackmail. Heavy stuff.

The sad thing is that the damage to F1 is already done because of the leaked information.

I'm disappointed in Piquet father and son.

Like many of us in the paddock, they have benefited enormously from being in the privileged inner sanctum of F1, and the boy's career opportunities and funding existed only because of F1.

So crashing deliberately in the first place, as he claims he did, and then lobbing this nuclear bomb into the paddock is not impressive to say the least.

They've cut off their noses to spite their face because surely Nelson Piquet Jr is unemployable in F1 now.

Which team and sponsor wants to be associated with all this? Anger has got the better of them here.

F1, though, will survive it and move on.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top