Renault race-fixing at Singapore 2008

[vall]

Are there lawyers around? I though of this: FIA may investigate whatever they want, impose whatever sporting sanctions (e.g. ban from the sport, for few races, etc., etc.), but they can't put you in prison, right? However, Flav and Renault F1 team brought this to the civil criminal court in France! There, if you are caught in wrong-doing, then you may very well go behind bars. I am wondering how should we read this move? Bluffing to make the Piquets drop the allegations? or that Flav and Renault have not do anything wrong: Piquet just crashed as he did so many times, he and his dad is furious that Jr. got fired and they are now taking the chance to accuse Flav knowing that the intentional crash hypothesis was floating around? What could happen in the court in France?

[WhiteBlue]

..Max will follow it through, ... but I think his focus right now is on getting himself back into the game with a team of his own. Max's only beef with FOTA has been with their opposition to getting the entry point for a new team down to something he can afford.

WOW with capitals. By far the best conspiracy theory of the year. =D>

I almost see you on a level with our intelligence officers from Leipzig and Berlin 20 years ago. They had this kind of imaginative thinking when it came to machinations of the bad boys and they had the same dogs. (rushing off to Ladbroke to place a bet on this one)

[SZ]

..Max will follow it through, ... but I think his focus right now is on getting himself back into the game with a team of his own.

Remains to be seen - would personally be surprised to see Mr M throwing cash into a loss-making exercise - but the entry fees were ridiculous for anyone (as were/are the running costs of F1) and the number of teams were going down - making the entry barriers to F1 smaller was a logical step, really. He's to be applauded for that (but that's another discussion).

I never said he was poor. But he's far from the net worth of everyone else in the sport, most of whom did come into it poor.

He's got enough not to worry about needing to make more. And what's more he has power, which money can't buy.

Keep in mind that Max's attempts at lowering the value of F1 were every bit the threat to CVC as the breakaway series.

No they weren't, they were only a threat to competitiveness of red and silver teams. The TV revenues would stay largely unchanged. The breakaway, that's totally different. It circumvents the commercial rights holders totally.

would officials in Singapore do anything for Renault's actions (forcing someone to hurt themselves) ?

Not impossible...

However, Flav and Renault F1 team brought this to the civil criminal court in France! There, if you are caught in wrong-doing, then you may very well go behind bars. I am wondering how should we read this move? Bluffing to make the Piquets drop the allegations?

Yup, though if it's thrown out at the FIA hearing there's a good possibility that Flav and Renault would throw defamation into the mix too...

[Pup]

..Max will follow it through, ... but I think his focus right now is on getting himself back into the game with a team of his own. Max's only beef with FOTA has been with their opposition to getting the entry point for a new team down to something he can afford.

WOW with capitals. By far the best conspiracy theory of the year. =D>

I almost see you on a level with our intelligence officers from Leipzig and Berlin 20 years ago. They had this kind of imaginative thinking when it came to machinations of the bad boys and they had the same dogs. (rushing off to Ladbroke to place a bet on this one)

The nose knows. OK, but you'll owe me an "I told you so" when he shows up with a stake in Manor next year.

[xpensive]

The connections between MrM, Wirth-less and Manor are undeniable I think, just consider they were given a slot on the grid ahead of Prodrive and Lola?

I believe you will see Nelsinho driving for them next year, but the Commish to spend his own money, I doubt it.

[SZ]

(Whilst I don't agree with at least one of those teams deserving a place on the grid,) remember this?

But unless he or his people have cut a backroom deal for a drive next season, it'll be very hard to get another one after this outburst. Unless

Grab your popcorn, sit and watch for where he turns up next... then carefully review the investors...

[xpensive]

By MrM's own admission, he has eyed this incident since some time and when Jr was terminated he saw his chance to nail Briatore when Sr is an old ally. Together they cooked up this horse-story based on only one of Jr's many crashes from 2008, could have been any of them, but this one in particular had an impact on the race.

Another drive could have been on the table from the very beginning, why would you otherwise throw away your career?

[pgj]

If Pat gives his evidence he is going to undermine or confirm Flav's story.

I still can't get past the question who tipped the FIA off? Their investigation [FIA/Quest] had already started by the time NPj told his story to the Brazilian press.

Conspiracy theory or does someone within Renault France want a regime change? It will be telling if Pat accepts immunity. He would not do that without securing his future at Renault F1 with Renault France.

[SZ]

I still can't get past the question who tipped the FIA off?

According to Mr M, Piquet Snr.

[SZ]

Together they cooked up this horse-story based on only one of Jr's many crashes from 2008, could have been any of them, but this one in particular had an impact on the race.

Well... by PS's own admission, that throwing the race was discussed is at least confirmed. Who brought it up and whether it was acted on deliberately by the team... yet to be proven.

[zgred]

Quite funny :]

'F****** DISGRACE, HE'S NOT A DRIVER'

A transcript of the conversations involving Flavio Briatore, Pat Symonds, Nelson Piquet Jr and engineers during last year's controversial Singapore GP...

[xpensive]

Most interesting as well, will MrM claim they are all acting in the Renault pit?

[Michiba]

can symonds take the immunit and claim that it was all his idea and flav had nothign to do with it? Would love to see this happen. That way everybody gets what they want

[RH1300S]

can symonds take the immunit and claim that it was all his idea and flav had nothign to do with it? Would love to see this happen. That way everybody gets what they want

That's a possibility for sure and I wondered myself about that.

If he did claim that - I should imagine the the FIA would smell a giant sized rat and dig very deep (The Piquets for sure wouldn't agree on that version )

Symonds will get immunity for telling the truth, not for taking the bullet.

If Flav knew - then we can be sure that the truth will out.

[pgj]

Why would Pat want to be a stool pigeon? Hi is one of the most respected people in F1, he has been offered immunity. If he took immunity and said that he had been bullied into it by Flav. F1 would, probably, understand and accept that Flav can be an 'overbearing'.

Pat can walk away from this with his life's work and reputation still intact. He needs assurances from Renault that he has a future with Renault F1 first though.