Flavio Briatore has told the world’s press he stepped down from Renault to protect the team.
Here’s a round-up of what people are saying about the Renault crash scandal and further developments in the story this morning:
‘I quit to save the team’, claims Flavio Briatore as Renault accept race-fixing charge (Daily Mail)
"I was just trying to save the team. It's my duty. That's the reason I'm finished."
"The F1 paddock has been enjoying [Briatore's] pain in a schadenfreude-fest of Olympic proportions."
Niki Lauda exclusive: The worst scandal in F1 history (Daily Mail)
"This time it was about manipulating a race. There was also the obvious danger to Piquet, other drivers and spectators. What also really upset me at the weekend was what Flavio Briatore was saying. He denied it all . His messages were murky, even making comments about Piquet's private life. It was unbelievable. And now, because Briatore has been sacked, we must assume the allegations against Renault were all true."
Decision not to dispute charge should help Renault (The Times)
Bernie Ecclestone: “I am surprised at Pat letting himself become involved.”
"What I do know is that there is something fundamentally rotten and wrong at the heart of Formula One. Never in my experience has F1 been in such a mood of self-destruction. Millions of fans are amazed, if not disgusted, at a sport which now goes from crisis to crisis with everyone blaming everyone else. There is a nervousness and fear within the teams, which is not healthy. There is no respect or trust for the individuals, or the institutions that are meant to regulate and govern the sport."
Perilous plan that brought Briatore crashing out of F1 (The Independent)
"At the Italian GP at Monza last weekend, Prost, now 54, was rumoured to be the most likely successor."
We will survive Formula One meltdown vows Bernie Ecclestone
"It is a pity that Flavio has ended his Formula One career in this way. You can't defend him at all. What he did was completely unnecessary. It's a pity that it's happened."
Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds face extraditon threat over race-fixing scandal
"Telegraph Sport understands Singapore could request extradition from a Commonwealth country for someone charged for offences which are deemed "extradition crimes"."
Adam Khan visits L’Atelier Renault! (ING Renault F1 Team Fan Site)
Renault's F1 community site has avoided putting up a post about the crash scandal – but that hasn't stopped their members discussing it.
Renault fearful of dent to global brand (The Times)
"Carlos Ghosn, the chief executive of Renault, had been looking forward to a publicity triumph as he claimed leadership of the green car market with the launch of four electric vehicles this week. Instead, he found himself being quizzed about a scandal that threatens to dent Renault’s attempt to portray itself as a clean manufacturer."
Opinion: the worst act of cheating in the history of sport (The Times)
"This is no run-of-the-mill piece of skulduggery. The Renault team’s crime was not an act of cheating as mere fraudulence. Rather, it was cheating as a potentially lethal act; as potential murder, if you like. This is not melodramatic. Deaths in motor racing still happen. They are not a relic of the wizard-prang days. Deaths come from crashes, and no crash can be controlled."
These are links I’ve bookmarked using Delicious. You can see my Delicious profile here.
Kovy
17th September 2009, 12:22
I don’t agree with all the people saying that it was a bad move for Fisichella to go to Ferrari because he was leaving behind a better car.
Although the Force India has been great at the last 2 races, in both races Kimi has finished further up the field and on the podium. It doesn’t have the speed, but the KERS makes it a match as a race car.
Then the rest of the year, the FI is likely to be at best a mid field car since there aren’t any more low downforce circuits that suit it.
Sav01
17th September 2009, 18:07
I think fisi is happy with his new job he’s living his dreams.
I’m happy for him too !
Sush Meerkat
17th September 2009, 18:17
the only person that has ever been unhappy in a Ferrari is Prost, and he got fired for being a grumpy Frenchman.
KNF
17th September 2009, 12:35
I hear that Changi is a nice place this time of the year, perhaps Flavio would like a government sponsored vacation there? :D
Prisoner Monkeys
17th September 2009, 12:42
Typical Briatore. He screws up big-time, but still paints himself as the hero. He’s always though Formula One was in serious trouble unless Renault was winning, and now he’s making himself out to be the sole thing that can keep Renaut going, even though he’s no longer invovled with them.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
17th September 2009, 12:59
Renault COO Patrick Pelata’s thoughts: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/78681
Bigbadderboom
17th September 2009, 13:39
Nice piece from Joe Sawards blog, the man makes a lot of sense.
Keith when we get a clearer idea maybe you should poll over the new Renault team boss!! Ive seen Prost and Richards so far…..are there any other names in the hat??
Hopefully the WMSC meeting will draw a line under all this and we can move on, I must admit I’m going to miss seeing Flavio on the wall, but if he gets replaced with another character it will all be good.
Chris
17th September 2009, 13:54
Call it whatever you want- I call it like I see ’em.
Briatore = loser. I hope all his money was worth it.
Chaz
17th September 2009, 14:44
What I also really want to know is – with all these scandals, are more people turning on or tuning out…
Markey
17th September 2009, 16:58
It’s Briatore’s ridiculously hot wife that I feel sorry for the most. She’ll now be forced to spend more time with this big oaf!
http://www.sportswags.com/f1/mrs-flavio-%E2%80%98not-in-it-for-the-money%E2%80%99-briatore/
Sush Meerkat
17th September 2009, 18:14
hahahaha LMAO!.
Ned Flanders
17th September 2009, 20:24
Reminds me of Anna Nicole Smith and her 89 year old husband…
Martin
20th September 2009, 2:31
She’s way better looking tha Anna Nicole ever was.
She will grow weary of this old wind bag and divorce him and take a bunch of his money and that will be the end of flav.
PAB
17th September 2009, 18:00
Why is no one implicating Alonso? It is Possible, but not likely, that he was unawares of the “fix” before the crash. But is it IMPOSSIBLE that he was not aware of the fix after the crash, in the year that has followed. This, after all, is the person who sent emails that revealed his knowledge of the Ferrari data that McClaren had stolen from Ferrari, before the scandal broke. Alonso is a cheat, cannot be trusted. He should be banned from F1, and certainly NEVER be taken on by Ferrari.
Sush Meerkat
17th September 2009, 18:13
from the times link at the top
He could always managed Piquet, I hear he’s looking for a drive. oh ohoh oh oh
Sav01
17th September 2009, 18:17
briatore was vocal about getting mosley out and now it transpires he’s not exactly an angel , he must have learnt from berlusconi.
A lot of people are bashing alonso but i think the guy is a huge talent and better in F1 than out .
He has not been found guilty of anything relating to this incident and we will probably never know unless flavio decides to throw a few verbal stones at people as a parting shot .
the Times printed the story on whole back page today with the headline “worst case of cheating in history ” evidently he has never watched boxing or football or the tour de france .
Joe Garnett
17th September 2009, 22:34
@Sav01
I agree. It is a very bad act of cheating and yes it did endager other lives which made it worse but F1 in itself endangers life. There’s no way that cheating in F1 regarding on track happening couldn’t endanger lives! The writer needs a sense of circumstance!
AP
18th September 2009, 3:25
I dont know if I’m the only person but I cringe every time I hear the names Jackie Stewart or Nicki Lauder.
Stewart is a royal pain in the rear with his ‘commentary’ on every thing that squeaks in the f1 paddock.
J Hutton
18th September 2009, 4:08
F1 will carry on..ask yourself if you will stop watching…a new rule needed to curb driver agents dual roles as team managers…
and…why didn’t Piquet Jr/Sr bring this up last year after the incident! / they are just as guiity as Biatore and Symonds…
Come on boys, lets not allow them to get off scott-free.
If Jr was asked to crash, he most certainly should have exposed it immediately/ I would think the Piquet name would carry more honor than becoming a partner in crime and then exposing the crime at a later date to serve as an ego tipped arrow of spite!
shame on the Piquets,shame on Briatore and Symonds
Patrickl
18th September 2009, 19:20
I wonder what the readers here feel is the worst crime in F1.
Obviously Piquet crashing his car on purpose is quite bad, but is it worse than Senna plowing through Prosts car? Or Shumi ramming Villeneuve and Hill to win the WDC? Or than McLaren’s “widespread” use of Ferrari secrets? Or than BAR driving with hidden fuel tanks? Or than Schuamchers ’94 Benetton being equipped with traction control?
To be honest I wonder if Piquet didn’t simply mess it up and accidentily caused such a huge crash. A spin and a stalled engine would have been enough to bring out the safety car.
Besides, we could even call it a crime to send out drivers like Piquet at all. He crashed in half the races he attended. So F1 apparently accepts that drivers cause that much crashes anyway. Why make such a huge deal of it now?
Steph90
19th September 2009, 10:34
Patrickl for me at least this is really all about the danger some individuals at Renault and Piquet put people in (if he wants to risk killing himself that’s his choice) and it does irriate me a lot when I think of how the championship could have gone.
Mclaren and the mole at Ferrari was disgusting and I believe the worst as it went against everything sporting and was a huge violation of another team. Though I am a Ferrari fan and Mclaren hater
:PWith regards to Senna and Prost and the battles at Suzuka inh 98 and specifically Senna ploughing into Prost in 90, they never went about risking other people and I think they both knew what they were doing and either one could have stopped it so that bothers me less whereas Schuey just barged his way through.
It would as you say Patrickl be interesting to know how other f1fanatics view these incidents.