Singapore 2008 under investigation

[Brogan]

A lot of conspiracy theorists at the time claimed there was something in the timing of Piquet's crash.

Well now the FIA are investigating alleged events after fresh evidence has emerged.

Could this have anything to do with Piquet being sacked by Renault a few weeks ago?

Was he in fact ordered to crash and has now blown the whistle?
Or is it just a bit of trouble-making by Nelinsho or A. N. Other?

The truth, as they say, shall be revealed...

FIA to launch probe on '08 Singapore GP

 

[FB]

Been trying to find a decent video of the crash somewhere on the web and this is the best I can do (hope you like The Verve). I'm afraid it doesn't show ,uch.

http://www.promanele.com/video/1809772/Singapore-GP-2008-Nelsinho-Piquet-Crash

If this was a staged crash Piquet is mad, it may be fairly low speed but when you think what could have happened...

 

[McZiderRed]

You Tube has this video to offer on the debate. Nelsinho crash

Also, this spin on the warm-up lap. Was he practising?!!

I love conspiracy theories! Aren't they ace?! No matter how sensible the real facts are, there is always a counter argument... "if you look up in the sky, there are no stars! AND the flag was moving, when there was no wind"!

I don't believe that Piquet span out on purpose, at exactly the right time for Alonso to assume the lead. (What if he got it wrong? What if he'd hurt himself/some-one?)

If the FIA find someone guilty (Renault/Piquet/Aliens), what would be the punishment..?

As with any theory/allegation, is there an ulterior motive for this to come out now? Hang on, who's been sacked from the Renault team recently..?

 

[Brogan]

James Allen has an interesting take on it: FIA to probe claims against Renault’s Singapore victory

 

[Speshal]

Very strange indeed.

Here's another one for the tin foil brigade, Renualt will use this as their escape route out of F1

 

[Muddytalker]

I guess Flavio also paid Ron Dennis to persuade Hamilton to take out the Ferrari drivers at the next race as well...

I stand to be proved wrong, but personally I find it very doubtful that
a) Piquet has such a lack of integrity and professionalism to agree to carry out the suggested plan, whether premeditated or an on the spot request;
b) Any team would bother taking a gamble on the SC coming out when it relies on many other factors, including the positioning of other drivers at the optimum point in the race.
c) Piquet has the ability to perform a controlled 'crash manoeuvre', when generally he spun out for 18 months due to a lack of control.

 

[teabagyokel]

I would say that Renault had the means, the motive and the opportunity! What they didn't have was a second string driver who would be willing to screw himself over for the team! I can see this actually being true, you never know with Mad Flav...

We'll find out sooner or later!

 

[RickD]

I would say that Renault had the means, the motive and the opportunity! What they didn't have was a second string driver who would be willing to screw himself over for the team! I can see this actually being true, you never know with Mad Flav...

We'll find out sooner or later!

I've got to agree with this, there is no morals to Flav, so it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest..

 

[Brogan]

There might be more to this story than at first thought.

The FIA's investigation into Renault runs even deeper than the sensational claims that Nelson Piquet was told to crash on purpose during the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.

The Independent newspaper in Britain quoted a source within the sport's governing body as saying "other issues above and beyond Singapore are also to be looked at."

You have to wonder what the "other issues" are.

If this drags on then I can see Renault leaving because of it.

Source: FIA probes Renault beyond 'crash-gate' claims

 

[Galahad]

If this drags on then I can see Renault leaving because of it.

And might that not be what certain parties in F1 would want? No more Flav, another manufacturer down, FOTA weakened again.

 

[GeoffP]

Poor Fernando, he must be thinking that he's the proverbial bad Penny!

McLaren - $100M fine, loss of Contructor points, Ron Dennis retires

Renault - ??? leaving series?

Please form an orderly queue to sign one of F1's most exciting phenomenon!

 

[Speshal]

Strange doings afoot!

Am I right in thinking us mere mortals have no idea what's in the new Concorde agreement?

Renault have signed it would I be right in thinking there would be a (hefty) penalty clause if they jumped ship prior to 2012 regardless of the reasons involved?

 

[FB]

Bernie gives his view (well that makes change)

http://formula-1.updatesport.com/ne...Ecclestone-concerned-by-allegations/view.html

 

[GeoffP]

How often is this quote going to be mis-used:

"It is not good for the sport. It all seems very strange to me but I do not know the truth, I have no idea," said the 78-year-old, who gave quotes and seemingly also information to multiple British newspapers.

I know I will

 

[Brogan]

It's looking more and more likely that it wasn't Nelsinho who instigated the FIA investigation.

Felipe Massa suspected Nelson Piquet crashed deliberately at Singapore last year and confronted Flavio Briatore about the incident in person, it has emerged.
...
Leme also said other drivers had been suspicious of the Piquet crash.

Source: Massa confronted Briatore about Piquet crash

 

[RickD]

Interesting - I wonder what Massa expects to gain out of this?

I somehow doubt that last seasons results will be changed to make him WDC, but stranger things have happened. I don't think it would be right for him to be handed the WDC, especially after the Spa fiasco and all the other dodgy decisions.

I can see Renault being deep in it though and think the best thing for them to do would be to get rid of that slimy boss, replace him with someone with even minimum morals, its got to be an improvement. In the meantime, prosecute him for as much as they can get away with, a life ban on Flav would be a blessing..

P.S. If you can't tell by now, I really do not like Flabio one bit...

 

[GeoffP]

Spesh, I was under the impression you were founder of the "Luck Flavio" club... maybe I got that wrong.

I can't see the FIA will change the driver standings other than if removing Piquet's points would do so - so that won't happen. As per McLaren, if they remove team points it would probably be as a penalty as opposed to a realignment, and then it would really be Adios Renault.

However, if they removed Alonso from the results aswell it would give Hamilton two more points on the final positions but nothing for Massa.

Personally I can't see any winners over this, especially being in the public eye, but I guess Pandora's box has now been opened.

 

[Speshal]

Spesh, I was under the impression you were founder of the "Luck Flavio" club... maybe I got that wrong.

:?:

Not me squire.

 

[Muddytalker]

Spesh, I was under the impression you were founder of the "Luck Flavio" club... maybe I got that wrong.

I can't see the FIA will change the driver standings other than if removing Piquet's points would do so - so that won't happen. As per McLaren, if they remove team points it would probably be as a penalty as opposed to a realignment, and then it would really be Adios Renault.

However, if they removed Alonso from the results aswell it would give Hamilton two more points on the final positions but nothing for Massa.

Personally I can't see any winners over this, especially being in the public eye, but I guess Pandora's box has now been opened.

Realistically, Piquet could be the only one to lose points as he would have been the only one to commit the alleged action. The FIA would have to prove Alonso was complicit in the whole affair, for him to be similarly charged and penalised.

Besides, I'm not sure if some people's memories are still clear of the race, as it's not as if following the SC Alonso leapt into P1 and romped home:-

There was still a lot to do, and further circumstances played into his hand (Massa's flubbed pit stop, other team strategies, Hamilton held up behind Coulthard, a further SC, drive-throughs for Rosberg and Kubica, etc.)

[From wikipedia]
After all the cars were behind the safety car, the pit lane was opened and nearly all the drivers pitted.
With both Räikkönen behind him and the lead to contest with Hamilton, Ferrari accidentally released Massa prematurely with the fuel hose still attached to the car. Like in Valencia, the Brazilian was also released into the path of Sutil, who had to take action to avoid the Ferrari. Massa went the full length of the pitlane before stopping just before the exit. In the time it took the mechanics to run down the pitlane and remove the hose from the car, he had lost track position and was now at the back of the field. A number of cars competing in the midfield prior to the safety car were leading the field because they had pitted already, or they were on one stop strategies and thus were not due in yet. At the front were Rosberg, Trulli, Fisichella, Kubica, Alonso, Webber, Coulthard and Hamilton.

Rosberg started to pull away from the heavily fuelled Trulli and Fisichella with the Force India driver holding up most of the field behind him. During the next few laps, Felipe Massa was given a drive through penalty for an unsafe release from the pits as opposed to the fine he received after a similar incident at the European Grand Prix. Rosberg and Kubica were given 10 second stop-go penalties for refuelling while the pitlane was closed. The Ferrari driver was the first of the trio to serve his penalty and rejoined the track in the same position he came in, last. Kubica was the second, coming into the pits in fourth and rejoining the race behind Massa. After building a lead of over fifteen seconds to Trulli, Rosberg served his penalty a lap later and rejoined the circuit in fourth behind Alonso. Jarno Trulli was now leading the race.

A lap later, Fisichella came in from second to make his first pit stop, moving Alonso into second and Rosberg into third. Trulli led the race for a further four more laps before making his one and only stop of the night, giving the lead to Alonso. He soon pulled away from Rosberg who pitted from second on lap 41, rejoining in seventh. Alonso made his final stop a lap later but still rejoined in the lead, just ahead of second and third placed Coulthard and Hamilton. Coulthard lost momentum and the McLaren overtook the Red Bull at turn seven. Both cars pitted at the end of the lap.

45 laps in to the race, Alonso led Timo Glock by just over six seconds and Rosberg by a further eleven seconds in third. The Toyota driver pitted two laps later, coming out in fifth. Four laps later, team mate Trulli began to slow down and soon retired after a mechanical failure. On the same lap, Räikkönen made his second and final stop of the race and rejoined in fifth. A lap later, Massa spun at Turn 18 and lightly tapped the tyre wall. Sutil also fell victim to the same corner, coming off worse than the Ferrari and broke his front suspension. He became the fifth retirement of the night. The incident brought out the second safety car period of the race.

The safety car withdrew from the circuit with nine laps remaining and Alonso pulled away from Rosberg and Hamilton. Glock, Räikkönen, Vettel, Heidfeld and Coulthard were in the remaining points positions. Rosberg was coming under pressure from Hamilton, who was looking to capitalize on Massa being out of the points. While chasing Glock, Räikkönen bounced off the kerbs at the Turn 10 chicane and crashed into the barriers with four laps to go, promoting Nakajima into the points. Alonso maintained his lead over Rosberg and took his first win for Renault since his return to the team. Rosberg took second and Hamilton settled for third.

 

[teabagyokel]

Yes, there was a lot to do, but the motive is there! If Piquet had not crashed into the wall in the first pit-stop window after Alonso's stop, then Rosberg and Kubica would not have had the drive-throughs keeping them ahead of Alonso, Coulthard would not have been ahead of Hamilton to hold him up and even withstanding the second safety car, Alonso was going to the arse end of nowhere and Hamilton was taking the chequered flag if Massa's pit stop went wrong as it did.

Even if they were deliberately cheating as such, their thoughts weren't necessarily "If there is a Safety Car we will win this race" they could be "If there is a Safety Car we can get in the points"! Either way, the outcome would be better than stuck in 11th place, unable to overtake Nakajima, and stopping earlier than all others so carrying more fuel at every point on track!

I don't know if they did it, but it is unrealistic to say that because a win was not secured by it necessarily, that the first Safety Car at last year's Singapore GP was not guaranteed to play into the hands of Alonso!

Who knows, did they take a gamble and watch it pay off? Or did they play funny beggars when shuffling the cards?