The Managing Director of the Renault F1 Team Flavio Briatorie and Executive Director of Engineering Pat Symonds have resigned from their positions. This has been as a direct result of race-fixing allegations made against the team after Fernando Alonso’s victory in the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. A statement on the teams official website stated:
‘The ING Renault F1 Team will not dispute the recent allegations made by the FIA concerning the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. 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 appear to be hoping that the removal of the two alleged key players in the race-fixing scandal will help the team avoid a more severe penalty when they go before the World Motorsport Council on the 21st of September. The penalties that could be issued may extend to banning them from Formula One for all time, however this now seems unlikely due to the removal of the two people named by Nelson Piquet Jr.
The young Brazilian driver has testified to the FIA that both Briatorie and Symonds ordered him to crash in the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix which he himself at the time attributed to a personal error. Piquet was was fired by the Renault team after this years Hungarian Grand Prix labelling Briatorie as his “executioner” after which the allegations were quick to emerge. It is believed that the catalyst for the allegations was three-times World Champion Nelson Piquet – father of Nelson Piquet Jr.
Renault announced at last weekends Italian Grand Prix that they would be issuing legal proceedings against Nelson Piquet Jr. and his father for making false allegations and blackmail. It is not know if this will still stand in light of the departures of the two members of the team believed to be responsible for the race-fixing.
Any further developments on this story will be brough to on Grand prix Blogger, be sure to check back.
Image used under Creative Commons licence from José Manuel G.C.
I am a 29-year-old journalist and writer who has followed Formula One since 1991. I have attended many F1 races in both Britain and Europe as well as many other forms of racing. 
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