|
|
Post by QPR Report on Sept 17, 2009 20:25:17 GMT
Mail - Nelson Piquet to plough his fortune into fighting shamed Flavio Briatore in courtBy Jonathan McEvoy 17th September 2009 Comments (0) Add to My Stories Nelson Piquet Snr, whistleblower in the Formula One cheating scandal, promised to pour as much of his fortune as it takes into defeating Flavio Briatore in the courts. Briatore, who this week left Renault in shame after apparently ordering Piquet’s son, Nelson Jnr, to crash his car in last September’s Singapore Grand Prix, has started criminal proceedings in France against the pair, alleging they blackmailed him. But on Thursday Piquet Snr, the triple world champion who first contacted the FIA to claim the race had been fixed, said: ‘I have the money in order to get the best lawyers. And about what does he actually want to complain? About the truth?’ Family matters: Millionaire Nelson Piquet (right) has promised to fight Briatore in the courts after seeing his son crash last year in Singapore Piquet Snr, a multimillionaire, added: ‘People like Flavio get so much power that they believe they can walk on water. Despite the clear evidence, he actually assumed nothing could happen to him.’ Piquet Jnr’s crash allowed his then team-mate Fernando Alonso to win the race after the introduction of the safety car. But the Brazilian has been told he will not be punished at Monday’s FIA hearing in Paris as his reward for coming forward with the evidence that brought about the departures of Briatore as Renault team principal and Pat Symonds as engineering director. Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/formulaone/article-1214234/Nelson-Piquet-plough-fortune-fighting-shamed-Flavio-Briatore-court.html#ixzz0ROhw0uS4
|
|
|
|
Post by QPR Report on Sept 17, 2009 20:26:41 GMT
And Renault View... The TimesThe Times September 18, 2009
Flavio Briatore walked away ‘because he felt morally responsible’Edward Gorman, Motor Racing Correspondent Recommend? Renault finally broke its silence yesterday, revealing that the head of its Formula One team had resigned because he felt morally responsible for the “Crashgate” scandal. Speaking a day after Flavio Briatore, the team principal, and Pat Symonds, the director of engineering, had left the company, Patrick Pelata, the chief operating officer of Renault, said that there was clearly a problem in the team that had to be dealt with. “I don’t know all the details but there was a fault and a fault requires a sanction,” Pelata said in the wake of Wednesday’s announcement that the company will not contest allegations that Nelson Piquet Jr was asked to crash at last year’s Singapore Grand Prix. “Piquet has already left and Pat Symonds is gone,” Pelata said. “Briatore considered he was morally responsible and has resigned.” The French team will attend an extraordinary meeting of the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) on Monday, when their lawyers will plead for clemency in the light of the removal of the conspirators in a scheme that helped Fernando Alonso to win the race. “We will know more about the details after what will happen next Monday with the FIA,” Pelata said. “At the moment, we have assumptions, but it is clear that basically there was a fault.” Briatore: skilled deal-maker to wild risk-taker The man with the apparent Midas touch when it comes to business and sport came crashing to earth with a resounding thud FIA backs Renault into a corner over Nelson Piquet Jr's crash at Singapore Formula One is the real crash victim Decision not to dispute charge should help Renault ‘Young drivers may buckle under pressure’ Jonathan Palmer, the former grand-prix driver, believes inexperience and the desire to succeed to be a dangerous mix Fall of a man that left motor racing in disbelief ‘Crashgate’ could force QPR to find new owner Formula One boss Flavio Briatore ousted after driver was ordered to crash Renault in crisis The worst act of cheating in the history of sport Renault may benefit from act of contrition Formula One boss ousted over crash ‘Crashgate’ could force QPR to find new owner Renault in crisis EDWARD GORMAN: Disgraceful end for Briatore DEBATE: Formula One's worst day ever? Related Links Hill: 'Crashgate' plunges F1 to new low The chicanery that shamed Formula One Pelata said this was no time to consider whether the company should pull out of Formula One after the scandal, the responsibility for which he pinned firmly on Briatore and Symonds. “Yes, we don’t like this, but we do not want the fault of two people to reflect upon the work of a company and the entire Formula One team,” he said. His comments came as the sport continued to come to terms with the affair. There was considerable speculation that Briatore and Symonds may yet face criminal charges, possibly in Singapore, as a result of asking Piquet to commit a reckless and dangerous act. The Times contacted Briatore, who said he would not discuss the affair. “Sorry, I am not speaking with anybody, absolutely not,” he said. “I feel wonderful, everything is fantastic,” he added before putting down the phone. At the team headquarters in Enstone, near Oxford, the atmosphere was muted as colleagues of Briatore and Symonds reflected on their abrupt departure and the admission by the company that the sensational claims against it were true. A spokeswoman said that the team had agreed to say nothing until after Monday’s hearing in Paris, adding that it was sad that Briatore had gone. “Flavio’s very much loved here,” she said. Asked about the possibility that criminal charges could be brought against him, she said: “We are aware of all this. I am aware that there is speculation, but it is above us. We are not saying anything and we are just waiting.” Although Alonso won the race as a direct result of the conspiracy between Briatore, Symonds and Piquet, FIA investigators are satisfied that the Spaniard’s claims that he knew nothing of the plan are genuine. The governing body said yesterday that Alonso would not be required to attend the WMSC meeting and there were no plans to question him further. While the main business on Monday will be deciding what punishment should be meted out to Renault, there is also likely to be discussion of Briatore’s involvement in the GP2 series and in Formula One driver management, and whether the FIA can allow this to continue in the light of his role in this affair. www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/formula_1/article6839139.ece |
|
|
|
Post by QPR Report on Sept 17, 2009 20:28:14 GMT
BBC
Briatore's QPR future seems safe Flavio Briatore's position as majority owner of QPR appears secure in the wake of the Formula 1 race-fixing saga. Had the ex-Renault team boss been found guilty of fixing the Singapore Grand Prix, he would have failed the Football League's fit and proper person test. But the Italian, 59, can no longer be charged now that he has left Renault. The FIA, F1's governing body, charged Renault after Nelson Piquet Jr claimed he had been asked to crash in order to help team-mate Fernando Alonso. Renault chose not to contest the charges and will discover their fate when they appear before the World Motor Sport Council in Paris on Monday. Briatore left his position as team principal on Wednesday after the team decided not to contest charges of fixing the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. Executive director of engineering Pat Symonds also parted company with the F1 outfit. Renault director general Patrick Pelata has since laid the blame for the scandal at the feet of both Briatore and Symonds. But the FIA could still impose sanctions if Renault are found guilty at Monday's hearing. The team could even be excluded from the championship, although that must be considered unlikely given that Briatore and Symonds - the two people Piquet Jr said were responsible - have now left. Briatore is co-owner of QPR along with F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone and steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal. He is also chairman of the holding company that owns the club and a director on the board of the Championship side. The qualifying conditions for the fit and proper person test state that nobody can be a director or hold a majority interest in a club if they are "subject to a ban from a sports governing body relating to the administration of their sport". news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/q/qpr/8260661.stm Guardian - Owen Gibson and Alan Henry
Renault point the finger at Flavio Briatore and Pat SymondsThe FIA is considering changing its rules to avoid a repeat of any avoidance of sanction in the race-fixing affairRenault today pinned the blame on Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds for the race-fixing scandal that has tarnished their name as senior executives refused to be drawn on the team's future in Formula One. As the French carmaker embarked on a damage limitation exercise to cushion the impact on its reputation, it also emerged that the FIA is considering changing its rules to avoid a repeat of the likely situation next week when the disgraced pair will avoid personal sanction for their role in the affair. Renault's chief operating officer Patrick Pelata admitted to French radio station RTL that "there was a fault and a fault requires a sanction". "Flavio Briatore considered he was morally responsible and resigned. We will know more about the details after what will happen on Monday with the FIA," he said. "For the moment we have assumptions but it is clear that basically there was a fault. We don't like this, nor do we want a fault by two people to reflect upon the whole company and the entire Formula One team." But he refused to be drawn on whether the company would maintain a presence in Formula One beyond the end of the season, even if it escaped a ban on Monday. Speculation had surrounded its future intentions, even before the current controversy. "This is not the debate today. We will have it calmly," he said. "Formula One is the world's most-watched show and you have to respect that. Formula One has been in the vanguard of progress for car technology. It is probably not the case at the moment, but it could be again and it is always what Renault have tried to do." Since Briatore and Symonds dramatically quit on Wednesday, effectively admitting they persuaded Nelson Piquet junior to crash deliberately during last year's Singapore grand prix to hand an advantage to his team-mate Fernando Alonso, it is only the team that will face a World Motor Sport Council hearing in Paris on Monday as the FIA effectively has no power over the pair under the International Sporting Code. Piquet had earlier been offered immunity in return for detailing the plot. The 26-strong council, headed by the FIA president Max Mosely, will decide on a suitable punishment for Renault after it dramatically declined to offer a defence to the allegations. The team could yet be suspended from the sport or, more likely, handed a huge fine. The loophole also means that Briatore's stake in Queens Park Rangers is unlikely to come under Football League scrutiny under its fit and proper persons test. The League rules only permit it to act if an individual is banned by a recognised sporting body. "We will continue to monitor the situation at the FIA but will not speculate on future developments," said a spokesman. Despite being well-practised in dealing with the fall-out from successive scandals, the shockwaves from Renault's effective admission of guilt continued to reverberate around the sport. Experts said that most of Renault's sponsors would be looking closely at Monday's ruling. Its title sponsor ING is withdrawing from Formula One at the end of the season in any case. "This is serious, it's cheating. If you were a sponsor of Renault, would you want to continue with that sponsorship? There will be a reputational damage clause and they would be perfectly within their rights to terminate," said Scott Garrett, a director at sponsorship agency Synergy and former head of marketing at Williams. Sir Jackie Stewart said: "There is something fundamentally rotten and wrong at the heart of Formula One." But former driver Eddie Irvine claimed it had been blown out of proportion. "In the past every team has done whatever it could to win – cheat, bend the rules, break the rules, sabotage opponents. This is just the FIA going on a crusade," he told the BBC. Christian Horner, team principal of Red Bull Racing, said that the loss of Briatore's colourful persona would be noticed. "Flavio has been one of the main characters in F1 for the past 20 years and his presence will be missed, I'm sure." Five in the frameAlain Prost Ran his own Formula One team from 1997 to 2001 but failed to match the success he achieved behind the wheel Olivier Quesnel Took over from Guy Frécquelin as head of Citroën's rally team and helped mastermind the continued domination of Sébastien Loeb Frédéric Vasseur Runs the day-to-day operations of the ART GP2 team which is part owned by Nicolas Todt, the son of FIA presidential candidate Jean Todt David Richards Chairman of Prodrive and Aston Martin. Masterminded the successful Subaru rally team and later had stints as head of Benetton and BAR Craig Pollock Jacques Villeneuve's ex-manager and the founder of British American Racing www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/sep/17/flavio-briatore-renault-race-fixing
|
|
|
|
Post by londonranger on Sept 17, 2009 20:31:55 GMT
Well well. so hell be hanging around Loftus more, or on the yacht, or starting another business?
|
|
|
|
Post by QPR Report on Sept 17, 2009 22:27:13 GMT
The more you think about it. The more mind-boggling it is. And to hear people say "who cares? It's F1" From Times Online September 18, 2009 Yes: Renault are the biggest cheats of them all
Edward Gorman, Motor Racing Correspondent Why? Simple. Because it ticks every box on the cheating menu and, uniquely, it also involves the deliberate and reckless exposure of a sportsman and others to serious danger. There is no other episode in world sport that matches what the Renault Formula One team did in Singapore. Let’s consider it piece by piece. The scheme involved a conspiracy between three individuals who set out on a course of sporting fraud that made fools not only of hundreds of millions of people worldwide, but also of the 497 other people in the Renault team. The plan to have Nelson Piquet Jr crash on purpose was dreamt up in the coldest of cold blood. We know it was first discussed after qualifying on the Saturday and was developed at a second meeting before the race on the Sunday. There was even a third consultation, when Piquet was told exactly where and when to crash. The Renault plan was not the work of some bit-part players in the team, but the team principal, Flavio Briatore, and the director of engineering, Pat Symonds, the most important people in the outfit, who could not only be expected to set an example, but also exercise a duty of care to their young driver. In every way it was premeditated. Piquet sat on the grid knowing that he was to embark on a course of action that was utterly antipathetic to the spirit of competition and fair play. What is more, the scheme involved not just one act of deception, but was planned so as to engineer a secondary series of events involving another sportsman. Fernando Alonso, unwittingly, drove to an entirely fraudulent victory, depriving others of their rightful finishing positions. At this point the Renault affair is already up there with Ben Johnson, nobbled horses and illegal keels in the America’s Cup. Where it lifts off into a class of one is when you consider the danger that Piquet was exposed to when he crashed. In order to satisfy their sporting greed, Piquet’s seniors had set in train an event of violent destruction, the consequences of which they could neither predict nor control. Piquet could have been killed or badly injured. Other drivers could have lost their lives, marshals might have been innocent victims and even spectators’ lives were put at risk. Which other example of cheating in world sport can match that? www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/formula_1/article6839134.ece
|
|
|
|
Post by QPR Report on Sept 18, 2009 8:09:05 GMT
ESPNStar - Piquet wants son free from BriatoreNelson Piquet Snr wants to take Flavio Briatore to court to extricate his son from the deal in place with the Renault team boss. Despite the 'crashgate' scandal that resulted in Briatore resigning from his position on Wednesday, and Piquet Jnr becoming virtually unemployable, the Italian still manages the young Brazilian. Remarkably, Piquet Jnr has a contract in place that would see him give up 205 of his earnings to Briatore over the next 15 years. Piquet Snr is now awaiting the verdict from the World Motor Sport Council hearing on Monday before determining whether to pursue a case against the 59-year-old Italian. "I could not talk to other team members about it (the contract), because Nelsinho was working for Flavio and his management has a contract with the team," Piquet Snr told Auto Motor und Sport in Germany. "Now I finally have something- contract violation - to put pressure on Flavio. "If the FIA world council confirms the case, I will have a hold for going to court." The WMSC meet in Paris to review their case, and issue any penalty, against Renault over charges of conspiracy relating to last year's Singapore Grand Prix. In deciding not to dispute the allegation made by the FIA, Renault have effectively admitted conspiring with Piquet Jnr of causing a crash to the advantage of Fernando Alonso. That is despite Briatore's assertion last Friday in Monza that no wrongdoing took place, and that he had the support of the team. Briatore also commenced criminal proceedings that day against the Piquets concerning the making of false allegations and a related attempt to blackmail. Former three-time world champion Piquet Snr, though, admits he has nothing to fear on that score, telling Briatore: "Just go ahead." He added: "I have enough money to afford the best lawyers. And what is he going to trial for? Does he want to put the truth on trial?" Piquet Snr, who initially blew the whistle on the saga to the FIA, believes Briatore felt he was fireproof given his prior standing in Formula One. "At a certain point people like Flavio have so much power, they believe they can walk on water," remarked Piquet Snr. "He obviously thought, even though there was lots of proof, no-one could catch him." The WMSC, meanwhile, appear set to review their policy in relation to punishing team members following this latest story to damage F1. Under FIA regulations, as neither Briatore nor Renault's former executive director of engineering Pat Symonds are now no longer associated with a licence holder - that applies to drivers and teams only - no formal action may be taken against them under the International Sporting Code. Although the Council have unlimited power when it comes to imposing a penalty against Renault, they are now powerless to act against Briatore and Symonds, despite the severity of the case. It is why an amendment to the ISC seems set to be debated, and if agreed upon, will allow the FIA to act in the future. www.espnstar.com/motorsport/f1/news/detail/item325054/Piquet-wants-son-free-from-Briatore/ |
|
|
|
Post by Zamoraaaah on Sept 18, 2009 8:11:09 GMT
Maybe Nico would like to take on Piquet's case.  |
|
|
|
Post by QPR Report on Sept 18, 2009 9:15:22 GMT
Chris Charles Blog/BBC - Review of the Week"...There could be a vacancy at Loftus Road's very own Comedy Club if Jim Magilton doesn't get his act together soon - 15 weeks is like a lifetime in the QPR hotseat. Of course in the unlikely event that Flavio Briatore is not deemed to be a 'fit and proper person' to run a football club in the wake of 'Crashgate', he may not even get the opportunity to fire boss number three (or is it four)? - Mind you, according to F1 supremo and QPR co-owner Bernie Ecclestone: "Sometimes good things come out of bad. At least (Flavio) will have more time to pick the team now." Yikes. - My eminent colleague Goughie, who has the misfortune to sit next to me in the office, remarked five minutes before the Briatore story broke that it had been a slow news day. It was swiftly followed by the announcement that Peter Kenyon was stepping down from his role at Chelsea and Karren Brady was leaving Birmingham. I haven't heard a peep from him since..." www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/chrischarles/2009/09/review_of_the_week_37.html
|
|
|
|
Post by QPR Report on Sept 18, 2009 11:52:03 GMT
Crashnet - FIA knew of scandal last year, says Piquet The scandal involving Renault and allegations that it fixed the result of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix continues to unfold after Nelson Piquet claimed the FIA were made aware of the incident some ten months ago. Piquet was quoted as saying by the Daily Mirror that he had spoken to FIA race director Charlie Whiting over what had occurred in Singapore during the final round of the 2008 season at Interlagos, Brazil. Taken from excerpts of an interview by private investigators Quest, the newspaper alleges that Piquet came to Whiting, with whom he had previously worked with at Brabham in the 1980s, to explain what his son and the team had planned to do. However, Piquet admits he was concerned about 'screwing up' his son's F1 career after just a single season with the French team, while no formal action could be taken without a statement from Piquet Jr himself. "When this thing happened in Singapore I couldn't believe it. Anyway, in Brazil I talked to Charlie. I got him and said 'Look what could happen to Nelson if I bring this up? And I was afraid to screw up the career of Nelson. The allegations involving Renault only came to light publicly in August after Piquet Jr. was dismissed by the team mid-season. The Brazilian claims to have been asked to crash his car in order to allow team-mate Fernando Alonso to take the team's first win of the season. Earlier this week, Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds resigned from their respective posts, while Renault will go before the World Motor Sport Council on 21st September (Monday) having already stated that it will not contest the charges. Alonso has always maintained that he had no knowledge of the conspiracy www.crash.net/f1/news/152414/1/fia_knew_of_scandal_last_year_says_piquet.html |
|
|
|
Post by QPR Report on Sept 18, 2009 12:03:56 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by QPR Report on Sept 18, 2009 12:12:25 GMT
Some Good news for Briatore
Guardian - Singapore unlikely to extradite Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds• Former Renault will probably not be extradited
• Singapore unwilling to attract bad publicity
Former Renault managing director Flavio Briatore and the team's former executive director of engineering Pat Symonds could be extradited to Singapore to face criminal charges in connection with the race-fixing claims during last year's grand-prix there, but lawyers think it unlikely.
Reports claimed the pair could face legal action in Singapore after they were accused of asking Nelson Piquet Jr to crash in order to help team-mate Fernando Alonso win the race. Lawyers said any extradition would depend on two points.
"One, are they based in countries with which Singapore has an extradition treaty? And, two, is what they've done considered an extraditable offence?" lawyer Nicholas Narayanan told Singapore Law Watch.
Briatore is an Italian citizen while Symonds is a UK citizen. Singapore has an extradition treaty with the UK but not Italy.
The pair could be charged with three offences under Singapore law, according to the lawyer: causing malicious or willful damage to property, endangering a vehicle or criminal conspiracy to commit a serious crime.
Singapore could request extradition from a Commonwealth country for someone charged for offences which are deemed "extradition crimes". However, it is unlikely that any charges Briatore and Symonds might be asked to answer would be considered as such. Meanwhile, the country would be loath to attract the bad publicity any such move would attract.http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/sep/18/renault-flavio-briatore-formula-one
|
|
|
|
Post by QPR Report on Sept 18, 2009 12:13:16 GMT
Some Good news for Briatore
Guardian - Singapore unlikely to extradite Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds• Former Renault will probably not be extradited
• Singapore unwilling to attract bad publicity
Former Renault managing director Flavio Briatore and the team's former executive director of engineering Pat Symonds could be extradited to Singapore to face criminal charges in connection with the race-fixing claims during last year's grand-prix there, but lawyers think it unlikely.
Reports claimed the pair could face legal action in Singapore after they were accused of asking Nelson Piquet Jr to crash in order to help team-mate Fernando Alonso win the race. Lawyers said any extradition would depend on two points.
"One, are they based in countries with which Singapore has an extradition treaty? And, two, is what they've done considered an extraditable offence?" lawyer Nicholas Narayanan told Singapore Law Watch.
Briatore is an Italian citizen while Symonds is a UK citizen. Singapore has an extradition treaty with the UK but not Italy.
The pair could be charged with three offences under Singapore law, according to the lawyer: causing malicious or willful damage to property, endangering a vehicle or criminal conspiracy to commit a serious crime.
Singapore could request extradition from a Commonwealth country for someone charged for offences which are deemed "extradition crimes". However, it is unlikely that any charges Briatore and Symonds might be asked to answer would be considered as such. Meanwhile, the country would be loath to attract the bad publicity any such move would attract.http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/sep/18/renault-flavio-briatore-formula-one
|
|
|
|
Post by QPR Report on Sept 18, 2009 13:05:56 GMT
So now we're becoming a creature of being made fun ofThe Standard - Sporting Miscellanies
Matthew Norman
18.09.09 Poor Rangers appear to be on wrong trackHigh drama at Queens Park Rangers on Wednesday evening. A few hours after news broke that delightful co-owner Flavio Briatore had abruptly left the Renault Formula One team, the club held a charity do (sadly in his absence) to raise funds for their local community work. Whether this was coincidence or evidence of a lively sense of mischief I'm not sure, but the event involved teams racing Scalextric cars. There is no word of any dodgy-looking crashes, but if suspicions arise the investigation will be placed in the dainty hands of that equally enchanting co-owner Bernie Ecclestone. What manner of gruesome horror has befallen those poor, benighted Superhoops? www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-sport/article-23745886-details/Sporting+Miscellanies/article.do
|
|
|
|
Post by QPR Report on Sept 18, 2009 16:26:23 GMT
Snippet from The Financial Times QPR team mates By Emiliya Mychasuk and Emiko Terazono Published: September 17 2009 03:00 | Last updated: September 17 2009 03:00 Steel baron Lakshmi Mittal might be spending less time on the Formula One circuit now that his friend Flavio Briatore has quit as Renault boss. Mr Mittal joined Mr Briatore as a 20 per cent investor in Queen's Park Rangers, along with F1 impresario Bernie Ecclestone. Mr Mittal's son-in-law Amit Bhatia is QPR vice-chairman. Mr Bhatia recently raised about £23,000 for the QPR in the Community Trust, in a sprint triathlon, and Mr Briatore was among those who made donations, as were eco-Tory supporters Ben and Zac Goldsmith . people@ft.com www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d004fffe-a321-11de-ba74-00144feabdc0.html |
|
|
|
Post by QPR Report on Sept 18, 2009 21:24:17 GMT
"... A question mark now looms over his long-term association and friendship with F1 kingpin Bernie Ecclestone, the multi-millionaire's partner and co-owner of the Queens Park Rangers (QPR) football club in London. I am told they no longer recently shared private jets to Grand Prixs. The scandal could also cost Briatore his part ownership of QPR if the Football Association find he is "not a fit and proper person". F1 will fast get over Briatore's exit burning rubber
By Ted Macauley, Special to Gulf NewsPublished: September 18, 2009, 22:16 Whether he was pushed or he plunged voluntarily, we may never know the real reason behind Flavio Briatore's undeniably discreditable exit from Formula One. I, for one, will not regret his demise as a force to be reckoned with on the Grand Prix scene. Nor, I guess, will there be too many others around the paddock who will mourn his passing and not mutter their good riddances. An unnecessarily nasty experience with the Renault boss, when he held a similar position at Benetton years ago, left me with a chastened view of the flamboyant Italian who seemed more concerned with his own image than that of sport he bestrode. The fact that I was correct, and was later proved to be so, over an issue he denied earned me a summons to his presence and a reprimand which was never withdrawn despite proof of my accuracy over a story I had written. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- More such episodes reflected the rather more sinister side of F1, evidenced by his team's illegal possession of Ferrari secrets, and the subsequent fallout of belief in his complete trustworthiness. His departure from Renault - allied to that of his sidekick, team Number Two, Pat Symonds, - will hopefully rescue the French team and its 750 honest toilers from exclusion from the championship as innocent victims of Briatore's duplicity and denial when he ordered his recently-fired driver Nelson Piquet to deliberately crash his car in last year's Singapore Grand Prix to boost preferred teammate Fernando Alonso's chances of victory.
It is hardly likely that Briatore will be weeping and wailing over his farewell to F1. A question mark now looms over his long-term association and friendship with F1 kingpin Bernie Ecclestone, the multi-millionaire's partner and co-owner of the Queens Park Rangers (QPR) football club in London. I am told they no longer recently shared private jets to Grand Prixs. The scandal could also cost Briatore his part ownership of QPR if the Football Association find he is "not a fit and proper person".Both Ecclestone, a ruthless but totally honest and upfront wheeler-dealer, and FIA president Max Mosley will be anxious to quickly draw a veil over the whole sorry mess and I can only hope that, with the removal of Briatore and Symonds from the scene, the sport may resume at a level of belief and integrity that forever wipes out its appearance of Hollywood movie intrigue. Ted Macauley is a specialist motorsports writer based in England. www.gulfnews.com/sport/Motor_Racing/10350193.html |
|
