General F1 news (not worth a topic on it's own)

[Adam]

Santander will sponsor McLAren at the same time than Ferrari.
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/78640

This bank is on its way to become the biggest one in the world, if we discount the fake ones from China who are practically state owned.

It's a wise movement since I guess Hamilton show up everywhere in the Santander/Abby banks from UK.

So it seems half ALonso will be at McLaren (Martin Whitmarsh said that Alonso leaving was a big loss) and half Alonso in Ferrari. At least the speculations now should become more funny.

[AnnieM]

[Lleigh]

[nimue]

Holy sweet crap... I guess I should have seen this coming... http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/78668

Briatore and Symonds leave Renault

Renault has announced that team boss Flavio Briatore and engineering chief Pat Symonds have parted company with the team and that it will "not dispute" the allegations of race-fixing when it appears before the World Motor Sport Council next week.

The team had been accused of asking driver Nelson Piquet to crash deliberately during last year's Singapore Grand Prix in order to cause a safety car period that would work to his team-mate Fernando Alonso's advantage. The Spaniard went on to win the race.

"The ING Renault F1 Team will not dispute the recent allegations made by the FIA concerning the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix," said a statement from the team.

"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."

Shortly before losing his drive with Renault, Piquet approached the FIA with the allegation that Briatore and Symonds had asked him to cause a deliberate accident that would bring out the safety car in Singapore, and that his heavy crash on lap 14 of the race had therefore been pre-planned.

Alonso - who had been a contender for pole until a qualifying fuel pump failure left him only 15th on the grid - had made a very early pitstop just before the caution caused by Piquet's crash and duly vaulted to the front of the field, from where he delivered Renault's first victory of a difficult season.

FIA investigators quizzed Briatore, Symonds and other team members over the incident during the Belgian GP weekend, and subsequently announced that the team would face a World Motor Sport Council hearing in Paris on 21 September.

Evidence, including Piquet's statement, telemetry details and radio transmissions, was leaked to the media during last weekend's Monza event, which also saw Renault announce that it would take legal action against Piquet and his triple world champion father Nelson, accusing both of blackmail.

The saga then took another twist when it emerged that the FIA had offered Symonds immunity at the hearing in exchange for full disclosure of the facts surrounding the Singapore incident.

As the Renault team - rather than Briatore and Symonds themselves - has been charged over the allegations, today's announcement by the team is unlikely to have any bearing on next week's hearing.

[icegirljenni]

Heard that Prost will take over Flavio position.
_________________
" I Need a heart to survive.. "

[Bosseking]

Now the question is whether Alonso knew or not. Because if he knew, wow, it's bad thing for him.

[Adam]

[Arkkis]

http://www.mtv3.fi/urheilu/f1/uutiset.shtml/arkistot/f1/2009/09/955350

Short translating of JJs opinion about what Alonsos part of this scandal.


Jyrki Järvilehto: Alonso knew, certainly!

MTV3 F1 expert JJ Lehto is confident that the number one driver Fernando Alonso could not have been unaware of the Renault team's plan to smash last year's Singapore GP.

Alonso rose from 15 from square one winner of the competition, the team Accommodation Nelson Piquet Junior's exit brought the safety car line at an appropriate time. Piquet has said that it had commanded by team to collision.

- If you're around the team, and the number one team, the Mighty, so I do not believe that no issue would remain unaware. Certainly, we tell you all what happens there. I think that Alonso is certainly aware of that situation, Lehto said.

[Riku Rotten]

Järvilehto said that Alonso knew for sure.
http://www.mtv3.fi/urheilu/f1/uutiset.shtml/arkistot/f1/2009/09/955350

This is fast drop from hero to zero for Briatore. And I like it!

[icegirljenni]

REVEALED: The full FIA dossier of evidence against Renault going before the Nelson Piquet Jnr 'crash-gate' hearing

you can click on the link if you wish to read all the FIA evidence. It is very interesting read.
_________________
" I Need a heart to survive.. "

[Julzie]

So now everyone knows where Nelson Piquet Jr. lives, it's written in a few of those documents

[mewmew326]

^ Yeah, but what on earth would you do with it? Raid his house?

[Adam]

[angeliwink]

[Adam]

[Lady Fëanor]

This could be expected. Of course Renault will rather fire him than get banned or face other grave punishment. Which by the way they might still get, if Symonds and Briatore weren't alone in this.

Good bye Briatore, and good riddance. First Max, now you. When will Bernie go?

[Adam]

[xpi3x]

[racingreen17]

http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_news_item.php?fes_art_id=39027

The FIA's latest victims...

[Lady Fëanor]