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Someone is lying and in the words of Falvio Briatore the”truth will be revealed.” At the moment there is something burning in F1 and the smoke is coming out of the ING Renault F1 team. Potentially this fire could be the biggest thing to rock Formula One but it will be doused severely by the FIA.
This all goes back to an extraordinary sequence of events in September 2008 that saw Renault driver Fernando Alonso inherit the lead and eventually win the 2008 Singapore F1 Grand Prix after his team mate Nelson Piquet Jr (son of triple world champion) crashed causing the safety car to come out onto the circuit. While leading drivers pitted during this caution, Alonso took the lead as he had completed his refueling stop just before the accident happened.
It appears that a meeting took place before the race between Briatore, Pat Symonds and Piquet to determine race strategy. Apparently at this meeting the strategy of Piquet crashing after Alonso pitted was raised. Autosport.com says that it is reported that Symonds said “It’s true, during the Sunday meeting with Piquet the issue of deliberately causing a SC (safety car) deployment came up, but it was proposed by Piquet himself. It was just a conversation.”
So on the 21st September a meeting will be convened by the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council where Renault will have to answer charges that it caused a deliberate crash in the race.
Much information has been leaked from an unknown source but this has confirmed that what appeared to be unbelievable has a strong element of truth to it.
Writing for the TimesOnLine, ex F1 driver and expert commentator Martin Brundle said this of the affair: ..."Talking with a group of eminent people, Niki Lauda asked: “Do you think it was an intentional crash?” I instinctively replied: “Yes.” He said: “I agree completely.” So that’s our guess for what it’s worth." (click here for full article)
If it is found that Piquet’s crash was deliberate it will not matter who decided on this strategy. Whether Piquet was instructed to do this or whether he decided on his own accord. Renault will undoubtedly be thrown out of F1. Look what happened to McLaren with the $100 million fine that came about as a result of the wayward action of one of their employees, found to have a substantial number of Ferrari documents in his possession.
It will be inevitable as to what will happen to Briatore and Renault. Piquet is already finished. In his own words “Flavio Briatore is my executioner”
The fire burns, only to be extinguished on the 21st September.
