Renault F1 has parted company with team boss Flavio Briatore and engineering chief Pat Symonds over the race-fixing allegations made by its former driver Nelson Piquet Jr.
Piquet has accused Briatore and Symonds of asking him to help secure victory for his then team-mate Fernando Alonso in last year’s Singapore Grand Prix by crashing and triggering a safety car period that played perfectly into Alonso’s hands.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Renault said it would not contest that charge when it appears before the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council next Monday.
It added that Briatore and Symonds had now left the team.
“The ING Renault F1 Team will not dispute the recent allegations made by the FIA concerning the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix,” the statement said.
“It also wishes to state that its managing director, Flavio Briatore, and its executive director of engineering, Pat Symonds, have left the team.
“Before attending the hearing before the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Paris on 21 September 2009, the team will not make any further comment.”
Renault had been given a deadline of today to put in its official defence submissions to the FIA ahead of next Monday’s WMSC hearing.
Its decision not to do so appears to amount to an admission that it conspired to cause a deliberate crash for its own competitive benefit – an offence that FIA president Max Mosley said last weekend would be even more serious than cheating or race-fixing because it put human lives at risk.
Mosley said that if Renault were to be found guilty, a severe penalty would be warranted and the World Motor Sport Council could go as far as banning the team from Formula 1 for all time.
“It could be anything up to disqualification,” he said.
“Because that's what's set out in the [International Sporting Code].
“Disqualification means you are out, finished.
“Out. Total. Exclusion forever, gone, finished.
“That is the worst that could happen.”
The race-fixing allegations came to light shortly after Piquet was fired by Renault for failing to hit performance targets.
Only last Friday Renault announced that it, and Briatore, had launched criminal proceedings against Piquet for making “false allegations” and attempting to blackmail the team into retaining him.
Piquet’s three-time world champion father approached Mosley with the allegations after the Hungarian Grand Prix and his 23-year-old son made a statement to the FIA on July 30.
He announced his split from Renault four days later, launching a fierce attack on Briatore – his manager as well as team boss – who he labelled his “executioner”.
After receiving the testimony from Piquet Jr, the FIA launched an investigation into the claims and interviewed Briatore, Symonds and other team members at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Piquet’s statement and key evidence such as telemetry data and radio transmissions were leaked to the media in the lead-up to last weekend’s Monza event.
In an apparent attempt to isolate Briatore, the FIA has offered Symonds immunity from punishment at the WMSC hearing in return for full disclosure of the facts pertaining to the Singapore incident – having promised the same to Piquet before the Brazilian made his statement.
It is not known whether Symonds has taken up the FIA’s offer, nor whether he and Briatore will now appear at the hearing in view of their departure from the team.
