Briatore was suspended from all Formula One events and FIA-sanctioned events indefinitely, whilst Symonds received a five-year ban. Renault insisted it would vigorously deny the charges (which were due to be heard on September 21) but on September 16 in a complete about-turn it said it would not contest the allegations and managing director, Flavio Briatore, and executive director of engineering, Pat Symonds, had quit.Īt the FIA hearing, Renault was disqualified from F1, suspended for two years. After weeks of speculation and rumour, on September 4 Renault was charged with conspiracy. Piquet, claiming he had an 'understanding' with the team, was livid and within days claimed he had crashed on orders. On August 3, shortly after the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix, Piquet was released by Renault. Piquet described his crash as a simple mistake and that, to all intents and purposes, was that. The location of the accident meant the safety car had to be deployed while the debris was cleared, and Piquet's team-mate Fernando Alonso went on to win. The basics of what happened are quite simple, even if blame and accountability was passed between members of the Renault team.Īt the Singapore Grand Prix in September 2008, Nelson Piquet Jnr crashed into the wall at the 17th turn on the 14th lap of the race.
Given that and the high-profile nature of those involved, it is unsurprising that when Crashgate, as it quickly became known, broke it did considerable damage to the image of Formula One in a year it was already on the backfoot. But rarely can an attempt to abuse the system have involved such serious stakes, namely the personal safety of a driver. Sport and controversy go together hand in hand.
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