Disgraced F1 pair could face S'pore extradition

This year's Formula One race in Singapore could see more than its fair share of excitement - not all of it welcome.

There's talk that two former Renault team principals could possibly be extradited to Singapore to be charged for their part in fixing the outcome of last year's Grand Prix here.
If so, the resulting media attention and the possibility of a long trial would draw more attention to the disrepute that's already currently associated with this race - an outcome which can't bode well for this year's race, which is already seeing less interest than last year's, due to the dismal economic climate.
The Daily Telegraph reported yesterday that Renault F1 managing director Flavio Briatore and executive director of engineering Pat Symonds - who resigned, as the team announced that it would not contest charges of fixing the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix - could face legal repercussions in Singapore.
It said Singapore could possibly request the extradition of the pair and charge them on extradition crimes, related to their involvement in last year's race.
When asked, Singapore's Senior Minister of State for Trade & Industry S Iswaran said yesterday that he had not heard any indication that Singapore was seeking the extradition of the former Renault team principals. But lawyers whom we spoke to say an extradition is a possibility.
Briatore and Symonds have been accused by former Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr of asking him to crash in last year's inaugural F1 race in Singapore - in order to help his team mate and double world champion Fernando Alonso win the race, which the latter eventually did.
Briatore and Symonds are due to go before the FIA's World Motor Sport Council in Paris next Monday. The FIA (the world governing body for Formula One) could impose sanctions and other penalties on Renault, including excluding the team from the championship, if it finds the team guilty.
And, now, there's the possibility that Briatore and Symonds could face criminal charges in Singapore too.

Lawyers whom we spoke to say it is possible the pair could be extradited and charged here for their alleged attempts to fix the race, but that it would depend on two key points.
"One, are they based in countries with which Singapore has an extradition treaty? And, two, is what they've done considered an extraditable offence?" says lawyer Nicholas Narayanan, who runs his own practice.
Briatore is reported to be an Italian citizen, while Symonds is a British citizen. Singapore has an extradition treaty with the UK, but not with Italy.
As for whether the pair could be accused of an extraditable crime, lawyers point to the list of offences in the Extradition Act in Singapore.
Mr Narayanan says Briatore and Symonds, if they did ask Piquet Jr to intentionally crash his car, could arguably be considered guilty of the following offences cited in the Act:

Malicious or wilful damage to property; Acts done with the intention of endangering vehicles, vessels or aircraft; or Criminal conspiracy to commit a serious crime, where the serious crime is transnational in nature and involves an organised criminal group.

Another lawyer - who has advised on extradition issues, but asked not to be named - felt, however, that it would be "a stretch" to say that Briatore and Symonds committed the aforementioned extraditable offences, even if they had instructed Piquet Jr to crash his car, and that it would be correspondingly difficult to extradite them to Singapore on such grounds.
Also, even if Briatore and Symonds could arguably be considered to have committed an extraditable offence, it would be up to Singapore to decide if it even wants to have the pair brought here and charged.

Observers have said that Singapore is unlikely to make such a move, given the negative publicity it would throw up.
Mr Iswaran also said that "this is a matter between the FIA and the teams".
"We are a host. Our job is to make sure we put on a good show so that the visitors enjoy themselves, have an eventful experience. In that regard, we did a good job last year and that's our target again this year.

The ramifications of the Singapore race fixing verdict

Andrew Benson The decision to give Renault only a suspended sentence for the team's attempt to fix last year's Singapore Grand Prix seems lenient at first glance.

And, all in all, Renault probably will be breathing a sigh of relief, even if they know they will be disqualified for two years if they commit a similar offence in the future.
As their employers, Renault could have been held responsible for the actions of Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds, yet there has been no fine and no points deduction. Looked at in the context of what happened to McLaren in 2007's spy scandal, when the team were thrown out of the constructors' championship and fined $100m (then £49.2m) - Renault do appear to have got off lightly.
But governing body the FIA has obviously concluded that it would have been wrong to punish Renault for something that it seems it knew nothing about, even if one has to question the culture of a team in which this sort of shocking event could be considered.
Assuming Nelson Piquet Jr fulfilled his promise to tell the truth in return for immunity from prosecution, then the guilty parties in this case were not Renault but former team boss Flavio Briatore and engineering director Pat Symonds, who the Brazilian said proposed the plan.
They have been dealt with heavily by governing body the FIA, with Briatore banned for life from attending race tracks and Symonds excluded from any participation in F1 for five years. Although whether such bans are enforceable under law is another matter
There is, of course, the wider question of Renault's decision to hire Briatore as team boss in the first place.
The company's bosses knew full well his reputation when they took him on in 2000 when they bought and renamed the Benetton team. The Italian's combination of a mysterious past, uber-ruthless business ethic, and the ostentation with which he boasted of his wealth have long made some uncomfortable.
His actions in this affair merely serve to underline the air of amorality that has tended to follow him around.
It can be argued that a company with Renault's global presence should have been less eager to get into bed with such a man. But although Renault were ultimately responsible for Briatore's actions, that is not the same as saying they should be thrown out of the sport because of them.
And Renault, it should also be remembered, have been involved in F1 for more than 30 years, and until now have an unblemished record - which is more than can be said for many people or organisations who spend that long in such a politically charged environment.
In that context, this decision is certainly expedient.
In the wake of the decisions by Honda and BMW to quit F1, the sport could ill-afford to lose another manufacturer and engine supplier.
For that reason, F1 will breathe a sigh of relief that the FIA has not come down harder on Renault. Likewise, few will mourn Briatore's departure.
There has been more surprise expressed at Symonds's involvement. He is one of those super-clever and understated F1 technicians who always give the impression of being straight-laced and above board, even if at the same time they are extremely cagey about giving away any knowledge about the inner workings of their teams.
Those who remember the dark days of 1994, though, would not consider anyone who was with the then-Benetton team at the time whiter than white.
That leaves the drivers.
The FIA has concluded that Fernando Alonso was "not in any way involved in Renault F1's breach of the regulations".
Not everyone will share that view. Some, including it seems Piquet's eponymous father, believe the double world champion must have known of the plan.

This argument says that a driver as intelligent and involved as Alonso would have questioned the strategy devised for him by Renault's engineers for the race in Singapore, so would have had to be told why they had decided on it.
Others are not so sure. The strategy Renault adopted for the Spaniard was sellable without him needing to know about the crash. And if you were to try to pull off something like this without anyone finding out, you would surely want to cover yourself by having as few people in on it as possible.
Having questioned all parties, the FIA's own investigators came up with the second conclusion. And, at the risk of appearing naïve, I have to say I'm inclined to believe that, too.
This morning, I re-watched the tapes of the immediate aftermath of the Singapore Grand Prix, when Alonso is joined by Briatore in an ante-room on their way to the podium ceremony.
It is impossible to hear the entire contents of the brief exchange, but it was the Spaniard who brought up the subject of the safety car and he did so with a sense of what I at least read to be genuine surprise. Sort of: "Wow, that safety car was a lucky break, wasn't it?"
Piquet Jr was granted immunity for blowing the whistle on Renault, and it is perhaps surprising that the man whose actions have been questioned the least in all of this is the man at the centre of the whole thing.
F1 will not miss Piquet. One reason for that is that he did little in his season and a half in the sport to suggest that he deserved his place on the F1 grid. But more importantly, by his actions in Singapore, he has brought shame on himself and his sport.
Yes, he was young, and yes he felt vulnerable that he might lose his job. But possibly the single most shocking thing about this whole scandal is that a man whose job it was to drive grand prix cars was prepared to deliberately crash one at the request of his team.
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said that "beggars belief". And it certainly feels as if F1, which is not exactly known for its saintly moral code, has plumbed new depths with this.
However shaky was Piquet's position at Renault, clearly the right action in the circumstances was to refuse the request of Briatore and Symonds.
Piquet, who issued an apologetic statement on Monday, clearly regrets what he did. It's just a shame he was not able to see things as clearly at the time.
Piquet must take responsibility for his actions, and it should be borne in mind that he was put in that position by the appalling ethics of his team bosses. But he was also there as a result of the entire culture of the sport.
There is a climate of fear within F1 - the teams fear the FIA, and the drivers fear their teams. Few people are prepared to speak out when something is wrong, or even express an honest opinion on a matter of controversy, for fear of repercussions from whichever entity it is that holds power over them.
Ultimately, that is what has led to this appalling turn of events and if the FIA wants to stop something similar happening in the future, then it must look much deeper than simply one team's ill-advised actions on the morning of one race last year.

Renault handed suspended F1 ban

Renault have been given a two-year suspended ban from Formula 1 for their role in fixing last year's Singapore Grand Prix.
The team were called before governing body the FIA to answer charges they had asked driver Nelson Piquet Jr to crash to help team-mate Fernando Alonso win.
Former team boss Flavio Briatore has been banned from FIA sanctioned events for an unlimited period.
Ex-engineering director Pat Symonds has also been excluded for five years.
Briatore and Symonds parted company with Renault last week at the same time as the French car giant said they would not contest the charges.
The FIA agreed not to pursue action against Piquet in return for his role in uncovering the details of the scandal.

Alonso, who attended the hearing in Paris, was also cleared of any involvement in the race-fixing scheme and the FIA thanked him for "cooperating with enquiries".
The World Motor Sport Council ruled that Renault was guilty of breaking its sporting code, finding; "breaches relating to the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix to be of unparalleled severity.
"They not only compromised the integrity of the sport but also endangered the lives of spectators, officials, other competitors and Nelson Piquet Jr. himself.
"The WMSC considers that offences of this severity merit permanent disqualification from the FIA Formula One World Championship.

"However, in particular the steps taken by Renault F1 to identify and address the failings within its team and condemn the actions of the individuals involved, the WMSC has decided to suspend Renault F1's disqualification until the end of the 2011 season."
FIA president Max Mosley added: "The blame has been placed where it should be placed and it's the right decision.
"The penalty that we've imposed is the harshest one we can but because Renault have demonstrated that they have no moral responsibility for what took place, it would be wrong in the circumstances to impose an immediate penalty."
The hearing was an attempt to attribute responsibility for the Singapore scandal despite the departure of Briatore and Symonds.
Renault explained that its internal investigation found that Briatore, Symonds and Piquet Jr had conspired to cause the crash with no other team member involved.
After conducting its own investigation, the FIA agreed with Renault's findings and decided to hand the French team a more lenient suspended sentence.
Renault, who will pay the cost of the FIA investigation, as well as contributing to its safety-related projects, said it accepted the council's decision.
Renault's F1 president Bernard Rey
"We are very sad to find ourselves in front of the Word Motor Sport Council," a team statement said.
"We apologise unreservedly to the F1 community in relation to this unacceptable behaviour.
"We sincerely hope that we can soon put this matter behind us and focus constructively on the future. We will issue further information in the next few days."
The FIA imposed further sanctions on Briatore, who ended his nine-year reign as Renault team principal last week in the wake of the scandal.
The Italian has been banned indefinitely from attending any FIA events. A route back into F1 was made more difficult for Briatore as the FIA declared it would not grant a licence to any team he was involved with or renew an F1 Superlicence granted to any driver associated with him.
Renault's double world champion Alonso and Red Bull's Mark Webber are both managed by Briatore while McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen also has ties with the Italian.
Symonds was banned from all FIA events for five years but the FIA noted his communication to the hearing "that it was to his 'eternal regret and shame' that he had participated in the conspiracy".
The fateful conspiracy was brought to light by Piquet after he was sacked by Renault following July's Hungarian GP.
The 24-year-old Brazilian said after the hearing: "I bitterly regret my actions to follow the orders I was given. I wish every day that I had not done it."
During last year's Singapore night race Piquet crashed on lap 14, two laps after Alonso had stopped for fuel and tyres, and a safety car was deployed to control the field while the debris from the accident was removed from the track.
Having already pitted in the race, the timing of the safety car - necessary while Piquet's wrecked car was removed from the track - was critical to Alonso's victory in Singapore.
It meant that when the safety car came out, he was alone among the front-runners in not having to stop for fuel and tyres and it promoted him into a position from which he was able to win.
The FIA's ruling on the race-fixing behind the Spaniard's victory has been reached in the same week that Formula 1 returns to Singapore for this season's race.

Briatore has been banned from any involvement in F1
While the majority of the Renault team flew out to Singapore over the weekend, the long-term future of the French team remains in doubt.
The team's main sponsor, Dutch bank ING, had already decided to withdraw its support at the end of the season while Renault itself reported losses as a result of falling car sales in the first half of the year.
Two major car manufacturers have pulled out of F1 in the last nine months, with Honda quitting last December and BMW announcing in July they would stop at the end of the year.
There have long been rumours that both Renault and Toyota, who have said it will not sign off its 2010 F1 budget until November, could follow them out of the sport.
If Renault and Toyota pulled out, the only two car companies left in F1 would be Mercedes and Fiat through its Ferrari brand.
As the car companies supply engines to the entire grid this year, that could be a major problem, notwithstanding the return of privateer engine company Cosworth next season as supplier to the new teams Lotus, US F1, Campos and Manor.
"Formula 1 can't afford another major manufacturer with such a proud history to walk away," said the BBC's James Munro in Paris.
"So some may accuse the FIA of that having influenced their decision."

Briatore & Symonds out of Renault F1 Team

Flavio Briatore has left his position as boss of the Renault team after they decided not to contest charges of fixing the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.

Executive director of engineering Pat Symonds has also left the team.

Renault were summoned by governing body, the FIA, after Nelson Piquet Jr claimed he had been asked to crash to help team-mate Fernando Alonso's race.

An FIA spokesperson confirmed a World Motor Sport Council hearing in Paris on Monday would go ahead.

Renault have been called 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".

The hearing will attempt to attribute responsibility for the Singapore "crash-gate" despite the news that Briatore and Symonds have left Renault.

The FIA could still impose sanctions if Renault are found guilty, including excluding the team from the championship, although that must be considered unlikely given the two people Piquet said were responsible have now left the team.

Piquet crashed in Singapore two laps after Alonso had come in for a routine pit stop.

That meant that when race officials sent out the safety car to clear up the debris from Piquet's car, Alonso was alone among the front-runners in not having to stop for fuel and tyres.

Renault's double world champion went on to take the chequered flag at Formula 1's inaugural night race and claim his first victory in two years.

At the time, Piquet attributed the crash to a simple error, but after being dropped by the team after July's Hungary GP the race-fixing allegations emerged.

The Brazilian has since testified to the FIA that he was instructed by Briatore and Symonds when and where to crash.

Renault's response was to accuse the 24-year-old and his father Nelson Piquet of false allegations and blackmail, going as far as saying they would begin legal action against them.

But on Wednesday the team said in a statement they would "not dispute the recent allegations made by the FIA concerning the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix."

The statement added: "The team also wishes to state that its managing director, Flavio Briatore and its executive director of engineering, Pat Symonds, have left the team."

BBC pundit and former team boss Eddie Jordan said he was surprised by Renault's announcement but believes it was effectively an admission of guilt.

"By suggesting they are not going to contest the allegations is in itself an admission," Jordan told the BBC.

"I don't know what goes on in teams and certainly in the Jordan team you would contemplate all sorts of things but you certainly couldn't contemplate that."

It remains to be seen whether this latest controversy, and the departure of Briatore and Symonds, will affect Renault's decision to stay in Formula 1.

Briatore had denied speculation that the French team's future was under threat and the team have signed a new Concorde Agreement to stay in F1 until 2012.

But this latest controversy, coupled with a decline in cars sales, could yet have repercussions for the staff of around 700, who are are employed at the team's headquarters in Enstone, in Oxfordshire, and Viry-Chatillon in Paris.

Former grand prix winner John Watson told the BBC: "The fact that Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds have left the team was the only solution to Renault.

"A company on the scale of Renault, a world-scale motor company could not afford to have a scandal of this magnitude rattling around in the boardroom."

As it is, Renault's statement draws the curtain on two of F1's best-known protagonists.

Briatore became Benetton team principal in 1991 and when Renault bought Benetton in 2000 to run under its own moniker, the 59-year-old Italian was chosen to lead the team.

Symonds joined the Toleman team, which morphed into Benetton and Renault, in the 1980s and worked his way though the ranks becoming executive director of engineering in 2001.

Briatore was also heavily involved in the teams' association Fota, as it sought to reach an agreement on the future of the sport with the FIA this season.

Renault may quit Formula One over new cheating claim

Nelson Piquet Jr has been accused of crashing his car in the 2008 Singapore race to help team-mate Fernando Alonso.

The FIA examination of last year's Singapore grand prix could lead to Renault quitting Formula One if their team is found guilty of interfering with the result of the floodlit race's inaugural running.

Although not mentioning Renault by name, the sport's governing body is likely to take a closer look at the race following the acquisition of fresh evidence. During the broadcast of Sunday's Belgian grand prix, the Brazilian network Globo TV reportedly said it had received information that Nelson Piquet Jr had been asked to crash on purpose and trigger the sequence of events that led to his team‑mate, Fernando Alonso, moving from the back to the front of the field and scoring a win that went against form in the previous 14 races. A spokeswoman for the ING Renault F1 Team said today that there would be no comment.
Renault have been at the forefront of rumours that they would be the next to pull out of F1 following the withdrawal of Honda and BMW. The French manufacturer was considering quitting last year but Alonso's win in Singapore, and victory at the next race in Japan, secured the team's short-term future. Renault's best finish this year has been fifth place in Spain, an unsatisfactory result that could accelerate the decision to pull out should an inquiry find against the British-based team. If the FIA feels there is a case to answer, Renault could be called before the World Motor Sport Council and, if found guilty, face a heavy fine or even expulsion.

When Piquet crashed on the 14th of 61 laps and sprayed debris across the track, the incident prompted the appearance of the safety car and caused every team bar Renault to immediately rethink their pit-stop strategy. A period of slow laps behind the safety car is the ideal time to refuel without losing an excessive amount of time. Renault were the exception because Alonso had refuelled three laps before Piquet's crash and rejoined at the back of the field. As the 18 cars running ahead of the former world champion made their pit stops, Alonso moved to the front.
The question is: was Piquet ordered to crash or was the accident a handy coincidence for a team under pressure to score their first win of 2008? If it was the former, then Piquet was either incompetent or extremely brave. The heavy collision with the concrete wall lining the street circuit destroyed the right-hand side of the Renault and risked injury. Had Piquet wished to prompt the safety car, it would only have required a slightly more dramatic version of the incident employed by Michael Schumacher in 2005 when he parked his Ferrari against the barrier in Monte Carlo and hampered the progress of rivals during the closing minutes of qualifying. Schumacher was demoted to the back of the grid. A spokesmen for Piquet said he would be making no comment.

The investigation comes less than two weeks after an angry Piquet referred to Flavio Briatore as his "executioner" after being sacked by the boss of Renault F1 and replaced by the Frenchman Romain Grosjean. Ferrari were accused of interfering with the result of the 2002 Austrian grand prix when Rubens Barrichello was ordered to move over in the final 100 metres and allow Schumacher to win. Ferrari were not reprimanded but the FIA banned team orders. The Singapore incident, if deliberate, is much more serious due to the risk of debris injuring other drivers and, possibly, spectators.

Romain Grosjean to Drive for Renault F1 Team

Allez la France !!

Renault have confirmed that Romain Grosjean will replace Nelson Piquet Jr at the European Grand Prix in Valencia.
Grosjean has also been chosen as the team's second driver for the remaining races of the season after Piquet Jr failed to pick up a point in 10 races.
"I'm very proud and looking forward to helping the team get the best results," said the 23-year-old Frenchman.
"Romain is an impressive young talent and we expect him to show his skills," said Renault team boss Flavio Briatore.
Grosjean will race alongside two-time world champion Fernando Alonso for Renault in Valencia at the weekend after getting the green light to replace Piquet Jr.
"It is an honour to be Fernando's team-mate and to make my Formula 1 debut alongside a double world champion is especially motivating," said Grosjean.
Briatore thanked the Brazilian for his efforts in a team statement but said the switch was evidence that the team would "take an aggressive approach to the second half of the season".
Renault were reinstated on Monday for this weekend's race in Valencia after successfully appealing a one-race ban they were given at the Hungary Grand Prix.
The French team were punished after allowing Fernando Alonso to leave the pit lane with a loose wheel, which then came off, at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

However, Alonso will now be able to race at his home grand prix this weekend after the ban was overturned.
Motorsport's governing body (FIA) will instead fine Renault £30,000.
The decision to allow Alonso and his new Renault team-mate to race is likely to delight the Spanish crowd.
"The reason there are two races in Spain is largely because of Fernando's involvement," said Renault team manager Steve Nielsen.
"People in Spain were not so interested in F1 until he got involved, and now it's a big sport there."

Nelson Piquet sacked from ING renault F1 team

Piquet, sacked by Renault, attacks Briatore

Nelson Piquet has been sacked by Renault after failing to pick up any points for the French team this season, the 24-year-old Brazilian announced on his personal website on Monday.
Nelson Piquet has been sacked by Renault after failing to pick up any points for the French team this season, the 24-year-old Brazilian announced on his personal website on Monday.
Piquet, without a win in 28 races, said in a strongly worded statement that he was disappointed at losing the drive and criticised his treatment by Renault supremo Flavio Briatore.
He described his time with Renault as the worst period of his career and said he now wanted to start afresh and prove his driving credentials with a new team.
"I want to say thanks to the small group who supported me and that I worked together at Renault F1, although it is obviously with great disappointment that I receive such news," Piquet, whose father won the world championship three times, said.
"But, at the same time, I feel a sense of relief for the end of the worst period of my career, and the possibility that I can now move on and put my career back on the right track and try to recover my reputation of a fast, winning driver.
"I am a team player and there are dozens of people I have worked with in my career who would vouch for my character and talent, except unfortunately the person that has had the most influence on my career in Formula 1."
Piquet was making reference there to Briatore, his team boss and manager.
Piquet accused the flamboyant Italian of unfair behaviour in his time driving alongside two-time world champion Fernando Alonso.
"On numerous occasions, fifteen minutes before qualifying and races, my manager and team boss (Briatore) would threaten me, telling me if I didn't get a good result, he had another driver ready to put in my place.
"I have never needed threats before to get results. In 2008 I scored 19 points, finished once on the podium in second place, having the best debut year of a Brazilian driver in F1."
Piquet said that despite promises from Briatore that things would be different in 2009, nothing changed.
"Unfortunately, the promises didn't turn into reality again," he claimed, going on to call some of the situations he has had to deal with in the past two years as "strange".
In a final swipe at Briatore he concluded: "I always believed that having a manager was being a part of a team and having a partner. A manager is supposed to encourage you, support you, and provide you with opportunities. In my case it was the opposite. Flavio Briatore was my executioner."