FIA to launch probe on '08 Singapore GP

Whatever happens, i hope it doesn't lead to Renault quitting the sport, as Bernie suggested might happen.

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X (@ed24f1)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/04/2009 06:51PM by SchueyFan.

Imho I think their form this year hasn't exactly helped keep the Renault board happy and this could just be the final straw.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/04/2009 07:48PM by mika19b.

No reason at the moment why it should lead directly to them quitting F1, unless they get hit with a substantial fine and then pull out citing financial reasons. But it'll certainly be interesting to see how this one plays out now.

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Renault won't stay whatever happens in my opinion, to acuse a team of fixing a race is unheard of, and if proven true it's a very dark day for f1.

EC83 Wrote:
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> No reason at the moment why it should lead
> directly to them quitting F1

Being accused of cheating is not the sort of reputation the Renault board might want to associate with, especially if they are looking somewhere to cut costs.

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X (@ed24f1)

Indeed. If they do go, it won't be for financial reasons. Their reputation would take a pounding.

On the plus side, the next time Piquet goes to Spain, he's going to go home in a box, so some good will have come of it.

Why is every meeting in front of the motorsport council always "extraordinary"

i hate it when they say that!

Because by the true meaning of the word, it is

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X (@ed24f1)

gav Wrote:
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> On the plus side, the next time Piquet goes to
> Spain, he's going to go home in a box, so some
> good will have come of it.

Yeah. On the subject of reputations taking a pounding, Piquet's will surely be in tatters off the back of this. I can't wait for the details of this to come out.

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Yeah, whatever the outcome, his reputation will he shattered.

If he made it up, he's a liar.

If he crashed deliberately, he brought/brings F1 into disresputeorwhateveritiscalled.

SchueyFan Wrote:
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> EC83 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > No reason at the moment why it should lead
> > directly to them quitting F1
>
> Being accused of cheating is not the sort of
> reputation the Renault board might want to
> associate with, especially if they are looking
> somewhere to cut costs.

You're right, thinking about it I n00bed that one. If they are a bit marginal for other things like costs or whatever, this could be what pushes them over the edge and makes them decide the F1 team isn't worth bothering with anymore. Carlos Ghosn put the team under more pressure to perform and to be successful when he took over as Renault CEO IIRC. He won't be appreciating this.

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This whole thing is just a big LOL.

If its true the solution is simple... Give flav a big telling off and take Piquets license away...

I would say Flavs reputation would also take a beating, but I guess it's got used to cheating allegations.

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"Trulli was slowing down like he wanted to have a picnic" LOL

Assuming Nelson is the 'source':

It's going to be difficult to prove either way. Unless there is some hard evidence that has been uncovered (such as trigger phrases, like the "Alonso has pitted" which haven't been used at other races, or some horribly irregular telemetry), then you're relying on word from at least 1 disgruntled employee (there could be others lower down in the chain, but you'd expect the only guys in the know to be only the ones who need to know) or someone who's got a grudge against his team. How far would you trust the word of someone who's been fired and used every opportunity prior to this to have a shot at his team or former boss?

I hope the hearing is treated with total public transparency, as I'm rather intrigued by this.

Whether or not Renault pull out if found guilty... well... should they be in the sport if they're going to pull stunts like this?

On the flip-side, as Dave pointed out earlier, and as Bernie sort of pointed out, is it really such a big deal? There's no specific regulation about it - it's just covered by that rather large umbrella of 'bringing the sport into disrepute' that crops up whenever something mad comes along that no-one has thought to cover in the written rules.

//edit: OK, so there is a regulation (though it's quite flimsy itself). I really should have read first.

151c: "Any fraudulent conduct or any act prejudicial to the interests of any competition or to the interests of motor sport generally."



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/04/2009 11:26PM by gav.

151c is the same reg that got McLaren, was it not?



RedSam
Winner: Not the Nickv Comment of the Year 2009
Due to the voting system in Germany, Governments are always made up of coalitions of different parties. At the last election, an almost unprecidented result saw the CDU/CSU (rough equivilant of the Conservatives) go into Government with the SPD (rough equivilant of Labour)

Really the only confusing thing about this is, is it Piquet that mentioned it, and if so, on what basis can the FIA launch an investigation based on one mans word, a man who recently got sacked and has not said the nicest of things in the press?

I just got a feeling there is more at work than Piquet. I cant believe the FIA would spend money/waste peoples time based on one mans opinion. There has to be move evidence.

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"Trulli was slowing down like he wanted to have a picnic" LOL

Oh #$%^&*, Nelsion's stupid lie was really happening [en.f1-live.com]

chet Wrote:
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> He crashed on an acceleration point... Simply too
> much juice. Easy to perform and make it look like
> it was an accident...
>
> heres more evidence... clearly a practice run
>
>

&feature
> =related


That little hypocrite piquet, now fia already charged renault. piquet should be laughing now on his twitter. i hope someday they gave piquet a fireback, if something magically happens yo show more evidence that he was wrong and thus provoking to remove his super license 4ever.... sweetest thing ever

What Chet said. The FIA wouldn't be taking it to the WMSC if they didn't think they could get a conviction. That means they must be in possession of some evidence, a bit more substantial than the word of one Brazilian idiot. Perhaps he supplied them with accountable evidence.

It's also claimed that the investigation has been running for months prior to this.

It's going to be an interesting case, I hope it's as transparent as the McLaren one with full court transcript.

Doesn't seem like there's much left for Renault in Formula One anymore anyway. They've won two championships, won races, and have built up a fairly solid reputation for success in F1. Why stick around much longer? It's hugely expensive, they're going to lose Alonso again, ING are out at the end of this year, and now their infractions with the wheel in Hungary and alleged race fixing claims are only going to damage the team and the company.

chet Wrote:
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> I just got a feeling there is more at work than
> Piquet. I cant believe the FIA would spend
> money/waste peoples time based on one mans
> opinion. There has to be move evidence.

Exactly, and that's where I can't help feeling his dad comes in.

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Despite all of this, Renault and motorsport are pretty deeply linked, with their brand image and all of the series that they have/ are entered in. So if they drop out, this won't be the whole reason.