Renault "crash-gate"

**Monseratto** · September 25th, 2009 09:51 AM

Hehehe... the repercussions is now being felt. At the this rate, Renault may have a blank white and yellow car...

Title sponsor ING axes Renault backing

Renault's title sponsor ING late on Thursday said it has terminated its contract with the French team "with immediate effect."

Mere hours after Spanish insurance backer Mutua Madrilena pulled its logos from the R29 for the same reason, the Dutch bank ING said it has also decided to end its association with Renault because of the Crashgate scandal.

It is believed that both sponsors cite a clear and serious breach of contract, due to clauses requiring the Enstone-based team to comply with FIA rules and regulations.

"ING is deeply disappointed at this turn of events, especially in the context of an otherwise successful sponsorship," a media statement issued late on Thursday read.

The statement went out to the world's media in the dead of the Singapore night, after team mechanics had throughout Thursday worked on the fully ING-branded cars in the pits of the Asian city-state's street circuit.

All team equipment as well as personnel and driver apparel also carried prominent ING branding as per usual on Thursday, the day before official practice for the weekend's Singapore Grand Prix begins.

Like Mutua Madrilena, ING had previously decided not to stay in Formula One beyond 2009.

© CAPSIS International
Source: GMM

**Monseratto** · September 25th, 2009 10:00 AM

Some of the drivers are not too pleased at Piquet's immunity...

Kubica perplexed by FIA's immunity decision

Robert Kubica admits he was shocked that Nelson Piquet Jr was given immunity by the FIA in Renault's race-fixing scandal, equating the Brazilian's actions to confessing to murder

"Normally if you go the police and you say you killed someone but you know someone else who killed three people, you will still go to jail," Kubica told reporters in Singapore.

"Maybe you will not have 100 per cent penalty, but you will still have problems. As I said, it's complex."

Piquet Jr's part in the scandal, though, has raised some doubts about whether he will ever race in Formula One again. However, Kubica says he would have no objections to his return, although he cannot fathom why the former Renault driver agreed to the plan in the first place.

"Whatever, I'm not his boss or his father, so he can come in, no problem as a driver," he said. "But you have to be really desperate to do something like this.

The Williams team's Nico Rosberg does not at all agree with the deal cut between Piquet and the FIA.

"The only thing I don't quite understand is (why) Nelson Piquet didn't get anything," the German told the Singapore daily Today.

"For me, he's just as involved as the others because he is the one who actually did it and agreed to it."

Rosberg finished second on the Asian city-state's floodlit streets last September, behind the victorious Alonso. But because all the results of the 2008 World Championship were set in stone last November, he cannot retrospectively be now declared the winner of the race.

**niky** · September 25th, 2009 02:38 PM

Well... there goes the monetary fine...

**Monseratto** · September 26th, 2009 12:13 AM

Yep... natangal nga agad.

**tidus1203** · September 26th, 2009 06:55 AM

With regards to immunity of course dapat meron if not then Piquet will not cooperate diba? Its as simple as that, right or wrong they have no choice but to give it!

As for Renault loosing its sponsor this just the start of their exit from the sport.

**overdrayv** · January 6th, 2010 02:38 AM

FIA must announce Briatore ban lift

The FIA has been ordered to tell the public and teams that the bans from motor sport imposed on Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds for their part in Formula 1's race-fix scandal have been lifted.

A French court ruled on Tuesday that the decision to ban the two Renault men had been "irregular" and overturned the FIA's decision, meaning both Briatore and Symonds can now return to work in Formula 1.

The court found that the FIA did not have the power to decree such a penalty - as neither men held any licences to compete.

"The FIA ... can sanction licence holders, leaders, members of the ASNs [national sporting authorities], but it cannot with respect to third parties, take measures equivalent to a sanction - in contravention of article 28 of its statutes," the verdict read.

"The World Council, by forbidding FIA members and licences to work with Messrs Briatore and Symonds, on the one hand added a negative condition – to not work with them – which is not provided for within the FIA statutes."

The verdict also suggested there was a conflict of interest in the ban, as former FIA president Max Mosley was already in dispute with Briatore – and he played a part in both the investigation of the matter and the handing down of the penalty.

The court judgement added: "The decision of the World Council was presided over by the FIA president, who was well known to be in conflict with Briatore, with Mr. Mosley having played a leading role in launching the enquiry and its investigation in violation of the principle of separation of the power of the bodies.

"The decision [of the FIA World Motor Sport Council] is not annulled but declared irregular, and rendered without effect in its provisions against Mr. Briatore and Mr. Symonds."

The court added that the FIA will be now forced to notify F1 teams and the public, through adverts in French newspapers, that both Briatore and Symonds's bans have been lifted.

"The FIA is consequently obliged to notify within two weeks it is lifting the provisions to its members and licence holders, particularly the 13 teams entered into the FIA Formula 1 world championship 2010," it added.

"This must be published in the French newspapers, of the choice of Mr. Briatore and Mr. Symonds – at the FIA's cost, up to a limited cost of 15,000 and 5,000 respectively."

The FIA is considering appealing the French court's ruling.

Autosport.com

**CVT** · January 6th, 2010 08:10 AM

Ang galing ng French Court....

9101:thatsit:

**overdrayv** · January 6th, 2010 09:26 AM

Tribunal de Grande Instance

The FIA notes the Decision of the Tribunal de Grande Instance of Paris in relation to Mr. Briatore and Mr. Symonds.

The Court has rejected the claims for damages made by Mr. Briatore and Mr. Symonds and their claim for an annulment of the FIA's decision. In particular, the Court did not examine the facts and has not reversed the FIA's finding that both Briatore and Symonds conspired to cause an intentional crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.

However, the Court did question the FIA's authority to impose bans upon Mr. Briatore and Mr. Symonds for procedural reasons and because they are not FIA licence holders and, according to the Court, are therefore not subject to any FIA rules. The FIA's ability to exclude those who intentionally put others' lives at risk has never before been put into doubt and the FIA is carefully considering its appeal options on this point.

The Court’s decision is not enforceable until the FIA's appeal options have been exhausted. Until then, the World Motor Sport Council’s decision continues to apply.

In addition, the FIA intends to consider appropriate actions to ensure that no persons who would engage, or who have engaged, in such dangerous activities or acts of intentional cheating will be allowed to participate in Formula One in the future.

www.FIA.com