Whale by now I’m guessing Y’all have heard that Renault has once again escaped any majorly harsh penalties in response to its acknowledgement of participating in the 2008 Singapore “Crash Gate” Scandal…
Having only received a two year suspended ban or as so eloquently put by Pressdog… Double Secret Probation, which means didly-squat…
With the Ax instead falling upon Team Principal “Flavour Flav” (Briatore) and Director of Engineering Pat Symonds, with Flavio being effectively banned for life, while Symonds receives a 5yr ban, both from Motorsport, as the Reggie duo is henceforth banned from any FIA sanctioned activities.
Briatore is the most severely affected, as the FIA will NO longer grant him any access to any of its activities, i.e.; races, etc. along with not renewing any driver Super licenses of participants under his management. Also not sanctioning any Motorsports series he’s presently involved in, which I assume means he’ll be vanquished from GP2 and could theoretically lose his position in the Queens Park Rangers, with Symonds being merely shunned from the sport for the following five years, while Nelson Piquet Jr. is immune from prosecution, and Fernando Alonso has been cleared of having any knowledge of said Crash Gate doings…
Renault gets suspended disqualification
And thus it looks like Flavio potentially decided to mistakenly fire his number two driver, along with taking on the Piquet’s, eh?
According to the WMSC, the Renault F1 Team has acknowledged the following during the court proceedings:
“It committed to paying the costs incurred by the FIA in its investigation; and; Renault (the parent company, as opposed to Renault F1) committed to making a significant contribution to FIA safety-related projects.”
Hmm? Isn’t it interesting how the mere threat of another Automotive Manufacturer walking from the pee-knuckle ‘O Sport can sway a Court’s decision, especially when ruling upon a French company in France… So DON’T uze be fixin’ NO more races yuh hear Renault? Or will actually have to do something about it… And just exactly what amount is “A Sizeable Contribution…” $100 Million?
Yet I suppose its worth considering that Renault is not only a current F1 Constructor, they also supply engines to Red Bull Racing, (currently) along with being the motivating factor behind GP2, not to mention the lower formula’s of Clio cup, Formula Renault and World Series by Renault, along with reportedly having the best young driver’s (F1) development program...
Ooh-lah-lah, Sei la Vie!
