Renault Formula One crash controversy
[3] On 28 September 2008, on the 15th lap of the Singapore race, which was close to the expected pit window for everyone's first stop, the Renault R28 driven by Piquet Jr. crashed into the circuit wall at turn 17, necessitating a safety car deployment.[4][5] Their bans were subsequently overturned by a French court, although they both agreed not to work in Formula One or FIA-sanctioned events for a specified time as part of a later settlement reached with the governing body.In addition to his Formula One sporting interests, as of August 2007, Briatore was chairman and part owner of the English football club Queens Park Rangers F.C.[14] In the post-race press release from Renault F1, the team described Alonso's performance as a "brilliant tactical drive", while both Briatore and Symonds attributed the safety car use as a case of good luck.[19] Following the race, freelance Formula One journalist Joe Saward, writing on grandprix.com, stated that "some cynics" were questioning the incident, but dismissed it with the opinion that "one likes to believe that no team would ever be so desperate as to have a driver throw his car at a wall".[19][20] According to the Brazilian television station Rede Globo, Brazilian driver Felipe Massa, who finished the Singapore race in 13th having been leading at the time of Piquet Jr.'s crash, and eventually lost the 2008 World Championship to Lewis Hamilton by one point, questioned Briatore about the crash at the time, although FIA president Max Mosley stated the sport could take no action based on "speculation".[23] Formula One's governing body, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), immediately announced it was investigating "alleged incidents at a previous F1 event".[25] On 4 September, following the investigation by the FIA, Renault F1 were formally accused of interfering with the outcome of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, and conspiring with Piquet Jr.[16] In a statement, the FIA stated that the charges against Renault F1 included "a breach of Article 151c of the International Sporting Code, that 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."[26] The team was called to a meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) in Paris on 21 September, days before the 2009 running of the Singapore Grand Prix.[27] In response to the legal action, Piquet Jr. stated "Because I am telling the truth I have nothing to fear, whether from the Renault team or Mr Briatore – and while I am well aware of the power and influence of those being investigated, and the vast resources at their disposal, I will not be bullied again into making a decision I regret".[42] A major contribution to the punishment of Briatore and Symonds was the testimony of an unnamed "Witness X", a Renault F1 employee who was also present at the pre-race meeting but rejected the idea.[46] Former racing driver Eddie Irvine, who retired from Formula One at the end of 2002, believed that the response to the Singapore incident had been an overreaction, stating that "This [Singapore incident] is probably slightly on the wrong side of the cheating thing but in days past every team have done whatever they could to win – cheat, bend the rules, break the rules, sabotage opponents", "[t]his is just the FIA going on a crusade".[47] Chief Sportswriter Simon Barnes of The Times, sparked debate over the incident when he labelled it "the worst single piece of cheating in the history of sport" primarily because of its "potentially lethal consequences" to Piquet Jr., the other drivers, marshals and spectators.[48][49] Supporting Barnes, The Times' motor racing correspondent Edward Gorman cited the alleged top level pre-conceived elements of conspiracy that sought to sacrifice one team member to benefit another to put the incident on a par with controversies such as Ben Johnson, horse doping and illegal keels used in the America's Cup.Gorman then postulated that this incident was worse than those because Briatore and Symonds set in motion "an event of violent destruction, the consequences of which they could neither predict nor control.Syed also argued that the Renault F1 team would not have been expecting injuries to result from the crash, in contrast to incidents such as the assault on ice skater Nancy Kerrigan.[56] Briatore was believed to be suing the FIA for damages in addition to getting his ban overturned, and has also stated his intention to pursue legal action against the Piquet family.[57] On 11 January 2010, the FIA announced that they would appeal the decision of the Tribunal de Grande Instance to overturn the bans imposed on Briatore and Symonds.Admitting they libelled the duo, a Renault F1 statement read: "The team accepts, as it did before the World Motor Sport Council, that the allegations made by Nelson Piquet Junior were not false.As a mark of the sincerity of our apology and regret, we have agreed to pay them a substantial amount of damages for libel as well as their costs, and have undertaken not to repeat these allegations at any time in the future."[59][60] It was suggested in the media that if Briatore were personally found guilty of race-fixing, he might fail the English Football League's fit-and-proper-person test which applies to football club owners and directors, whose regulations exclude people who are "subject to a ban from a sports governing body relating to the administration of their sport", though a BBC report opined that his position might be secure given that he had left Renault.[11] The Football League stated that they would wait for the conclusion of the investigation before examining Briatore's fitness to continue to be a director of Queens Park Rangers F.C.Toyota Racing principal John Howett was quoted as saying, "I think on his performance...disregarding the issue, I probably would not give him a drive and I would probably be further influenced in that decision by what took place."[72] In March 2017 Symonds was hired as Formula One's chief technical officer, a position he would hold until May 2024 when he became the executive engineering consultant for the Andretti Cadillac F1 program."Piquet Jr had told his father Nelson that he had been asked by the team to deliberately drive into the wall at a certain point in time in order to trigger a safety car phase and help his team-mate Alonso.Given that Hamilton eventually won the championship by one point with an overtake on Timo Glock in Brazil, Massa argues that Crashgate ultimately cost him the title.
Renault R28Nelson Piquet Jr.sporting scandalRenault F12008 Singapore Grand PrixFernando Alonsosafety car2009 Hungarian Grand PrixFédération Internationale de l'AutomobileFlavio BriatorePat SymondssuspendedTeam EnstoneVirgin RacingRenaultBenetton Formula OneProdriveDavid RichardsMecachromefootballQueens Park Rangers F.C.Bernie EcclestoneLakshmi MittalMcLarenToleman MotosportNelson PiquetJapanese Grand Prix2008 Formula One seasonpit stopFelipe MassaFerrarigrainingJoe SawardRede GloboLewis HamiltonMax Mosley2009 seasonRomain GrosjeanFIA World Motor Sport CouncilThe Timessuper licencesThe Daily Mirrorde factoindustrial espionage between teamslied to race stewardsRenault S.A.Frankfurt Motor ShowCarlos GhosnRenault S.A.'schief operating officerJordan Grand PrixEddie Jordanformer teamJackie StewartJaguar RacingNiki Lauda2007 espionage scandalDamon HillEddie IrvineSimon BarnesBen JohnsonAmerica's CupMatthew SyedEast German athletics doping scandalthe assaultNancy KerriganFormula One Managementdeath of Ayrton SennaMichael Schumacher2009 Japanese Grand PrixMutua Madrileña2009 Singapore Grand PrixTribunal de Grande InstanceEnglish Football Leaguefit-and-proper-person testextraditedMartin BrundleToyota RacingJohn HowettChristian HornerRed Bull RacingNASCARCamping World Truck SeriesNationwide SeriesGlobal RallycrossFormula EChina RacingSébastien Buemi2018–19 seasonStock Car Pro SeriesCavaleiro SportsAlpineAston MartinMarussiaWilliamsTimo GlockJean TodtMotorsport.comAllegations of cheating in the 1994 Formula One season2007 Formula One espionage controversy2009 Formula One season2013 Federated Auto Parts 400List of scandals with "-gate" suffixList of sporting scandalsThe TelegraphThe Daily TelegraphAutoweekWayback MachineRenault in Formula OneBernard DudotGérard LarrousseJean SageMichel TêtuJean-Pierre JabouilleRené ArnouxAlain ProstEddie CheeverDerek WarwickPatrick TambayPhilippe StreiffFrançois HesnaultFormula OneRenault SportJames AllisonBob BellÉric Boullier