ING Renault F1 Team Statement ...

[evo 6.5]

The ING Renault F1 Team will not dispute the recent allegations made by the FIA concerning the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.

It also wishes to state that its managing director, Flavio Briatore and its executive director of engineering, Pat Symonds, have left the team.

Before attending the hearing before the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Paris on 21 September 2009, the team will not make any further comment.

[petrolhead]

Wow... that's amazing news... can't believe that it's true... these guys are some of the most influential and talented people in the sport... sad to see them go

[ahmad.alkhalil]

can someone tell me what happened in the Singapore GP?! I'm a little out of touch with F1 since Shumy left!

[petrolhead]

Renault fired their driver Nelson Piquet Jr. at the Hungarian GP this year. He was pissed off and went to the FIA and told them that last year in the Singapore GP, his team boss (Flavio) and racing director (Pat Symonds) told him to crash his car, to get a safety car situation which would help his teammate Alonso to win the race. They told him to crash so that he could secure his seat for next year as he wasn't performing that well.

Well FIA took both parties to court (Piquet Jr. and Renault) to investigate this matter, the hearing is scheduled for this coming Monday which the week before this year's Singapore GP (oddly enough)... and the statement from Piquet was leaked to the media and Renault didn't like what was said (as they were preparing their case) and filed a lawsuit against him for trying to blackmail the team.

Today Renault releases this statement that they let go of Flavio and Pat, but still the hearing/investigation will take place and we will wait for the outcome of the team (they could be expelled from the sport all together)

Sad that it had to come to this for Flavio and Pat, I grew up watching them during their Benetton days when Schumi was just starting to become the superstar he is now

[mahmoud_bedewi]

formula 1 is full of **** of this kind, i believe alot of those incidents are not revealed yet

[evo 6.5]

Nelson Piquet Jr is a big looser i'm surprised he found a seat in F1 ( i guess he should thank his da for this)
i think he should be banned from motorsport forever & never allowed behind a wheel
the sport will not be the same without Flavio Briatore

[ahmad.alkhalil]

aaaaah ok... thanks Rami

[Ayham]

Any news from the hearing?

[SSense]

Formula One team Renault handed two-year suspended ban

Latest reports state:


The France-based Renault team get suspended ban for ordering Piquet (seen arriving for the hearing) to crash during last year's Singapore Grand Prix to help teammate Fernando Alonso's chances in the race.

Paris: The Renault Formula One team were on Monday handed a two-year suspended ban by the International Automobile Federation for ordering Nelson Piquet junior to crash in the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.

A hearing into allegations that former Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr. was ordered to deliberately crash his car during a Formula One race last year started early on Monday at the FIA's Paris headquarters.

The World Motor Sport Council - the highest-ranking body within motor sports' governing body FIA - announced the verdict.

The France-based Renault team is accused of ordering Piquet to crash during last year's Singapore Grand Prix to help teammate Fernando Alonso's chances in the race. The introduction of the safety car on the 13th lap after Piquet's crash helped Alonso win the race, as he had just made an early pit stop and could move up the field when the other cars had to refuel.

Former world champion Alonso, who has repeatedly denied that he had any knowledge of the instructions, attended the meeting along with Piquet Jr., who has been granted immunity in the case in exchange for his testimony.

"What they did was very serious. There can be no excuse, but they have acted quickly to get rid of the culprits, and that must be borne in mind," Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone said as he arrived at the FIA headquarters.

FIA president Max Mosley refused to comment when he arrived.

Renault's head of communications Jean-Francois Caubet and Renault F1 president Bernard Rey didn't speak to the assembled media.

The team is not expected to contest the charges after splitting with the team's principal Flavio Briatore and engineering executive director Pat Symonds. Both allegedly plotted Piquet's crash in minute detail.

Alonso, who was not expected to attend the meeting, is likely to be questioned over Briatore's role.

The scandal is the latest in a series of controversies in F1. The year began with challenges over the legality of several cars, including pacesetting Brawn GP, under new technical regulations.

Soon after, reigning F1 champion Lewis Hamilton of McLaren admitted to deliberately misleading a steward's inquiry. That prompted the departure of the team's sporting director, Dave Ryan, while team boss Ron Dennis also stepped aside.

The Formula One Teams Association also threatened to quit F1 and launch their own series, the culmination of a power struggle that characterized the often antagonistic relationship between the teams and the sport's officials.

Two years ago, McLaren Mercedes was handed a record $100 million fine after being found guilty of using Ferrari secret data to enhance its own cars' performances.

Source: Gulfnews

[jeanloup]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry9000/4.6.0.162 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/302)

Just heard that. This is crazy. Sad to see them go but glad for them to be punished as this is cheating.

[Ayham]

Justice is served!

Shameful act...

[ahmad.alkhalil]

so very true... shameful to the racing community!

Hopefully this is a lesson to all other teams.. although I'm pretty sure they cheat on a daily basis, just not as obvious as this one!

[evo 6.5]

i disagree with u guys on this

even if they did a mistake the outcome is too harsh these r guys who have served the F1 for yrs F1 will not be the same

[ahmad.alkhalil]

true but a wrong is a wrong... there are no two ways about it! They deliberately told their driver to crash, no thought to safety or his own well being!!! granted they were a great influence on the F1 arena but this is when ego comes in... U can't and shouldn't be allowed to getaway with such actions!

my $0.02

[evo 6.5]

true but the punishment is too big that what i'm saying