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.

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 F1 Team cleared for European GP

Renault and Fernando Alonso have been cleared to compete in the European Grand Prix in Valencia after winning an appeal against a one-race ban.
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.
Alonso's right front wheel came off and bounced across the track at the race four weeks ago, race stewards subsequently ruling that the team's pit crew knew the wheel was not properly secured and failed to tell the driver.
But Renault team manager Steve Nielsen had said he was confident the team's suspension would be lifted.
"I've been optimistic since we got the penalty. We feel it's unjust," he said.
The stewards said Renault's pit crew "knowingly released car number seven from the pit stop position without one of the retaining devices for the wheel-nuts being securely in position."

They also determined that "being aware of this, Renault failed to take any action to prevent the car from leaving the pit lane... and failed to inform the driver of this problem or to advise him to take appropriate action given the circumstances, even though the driver contacted the team by radio believing he had a puncture."
However, Nielsen insisted his team did not realise there was a problem with Alonso's car.
"We admit we did some stuff wrong, but we don't think that the penalty fits the crime," added Nielsen.
To argue their case Renault used comparative footage from races where drivers breached safety rules - but either went unpunished, or were punished less severely.
One example was German driver Sebastian Vettel racing at the Australian Grand Prix in March with a loose wheel hanging by the side of his car after colliding with BMW's Robert Kubica.
Vettel was fined £30,000 - the maximum amount that race stewards can levy - for continuing on three wheels and Renault said their punishment - at worst - should be a similar fine.
But Whiting said that incidents such as Vettel's had not occurred when leaving the pits, but during the race itself.

Renault engineering director Pat Symonds attended the hearing
Renault were represented at the hearing by engineering director Pat Symonds and technical director Bob Bell, while F1 race director Charlie Whiting represented the FIA.
With the ban overturned Alonso will now race at his home grand prix while Renault test driver Romain Grosjean will take Nelson Piquet Jr's seat.
Frenchman Grosjean was asked to step in after Piquet Jr was told by Renault he will not continue driving for them in F1 this season.
The decision to allow Alonso and his Renault team to race is also likely to delight the Spanish crowd.
"The reason there are two races in Spain is largely because of Fernando's involvement," said Nielsen.
"People in Spain were not so interested in F1 until he got involved, and now it's a big sport there."
The incident was particularly pertinent as it happened the day after Brazilian Felipe Massa was hospitalised with life-threatening injuries suffered while racing.
The Ferrari driver was struck by an object dislodged from the Brawn GP car of Rubens Barrichello car during qualifying at the Hungaroring.
Massa had surgery on his skull and is recovering.
The previous week, 18-year-old F2 driver Henry Surtees - the son of former F1 champion John Surtees- was killed after losing consciousness and crashing into the barrier after a stray tyre hit him.