Bosses leave Renault after deciding not to dispute allegations.
17th September, 2009
It has been announced today that Flavio Briatore has stepped down from his position as the boss of Renault as well as the executive director of engineering Pat Symonds, after deciding not contest charges which involved fixing the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.
The incident was bought to the public’s attention after Nelson Piquet Jr revealed that he had been asked to deliberately crash so that his team mate Fernando Alonso would have a better chance in the race.
Despite the two resigning from their positions, the hearing will take place on Monday in Paris and Renault have been asked to answer charges that they “conspired with 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”.
If found guilty, then the team could be excluded from the championship, although as the two people who are accused of the allegations have resigned already, it should mean that the rest of the team will not have to take the wrath.
At the time of the crash, it was disguised as a genuine accident and it wasn’t until Piquet was dropped from the team after July’s Hungary GP that the allegations emerged. Piquet suggested that his crash was planned by Briatore and Symonds and he was instructed of exactly when and where to crash the car to help out his team mate.
The crash was timed perfectly so that once team mate Alonso had stopped for a tyre and fuel check, Piquet would crash meaning that when officials sent out the safety car to clear the debris away Alonso could head to the front with the advantage of a fall tank and repaired tyres.
The 24-year old was accused of false allegations and blackmail when the story was first uncovered and Renault responded assuring Piquet and his father that they would take legal action. However, it seems that now Renault have exposed an admission of guilt revealing, “We will not dispute the recent allegations made by the FIA concerning the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix”.
John Watson, a former winner of the Grand Prix spoke his thoughts explaining that. “The fact Flavio Braitore and Pat Symonds have left the team was the only solution for the company’s chance of survival. A company on the scale of Renault, a world-scale motor company could not afford to have this type of scandal attached to its name”
It seems that this has all come at a bad time and paired with the recession, Renault may feel the effects a little deeper, if the damage has a large impact on the brand it may result in Renault’s employees jobs being at risk.
By Gina
