Renault may quit Formula One over new cheating claim

Nelson Piquet Jr has been accused of crashing his car in the 2008 Singapore race to help team-mate Fernando Alonso.

The FIA examination of last year's Singapore grand prix could lead to Renault quitting Formula One if their team is found guilty of interfering with the result of the floodlit race's inaugural running.

Although not mentioning Renault by name, the sport's governing body is likely to take a closer look at the race following the acquisition of fresh evidence. During the broadcast of Sunday's Belgian grand prix, the Brazilian network Globo TV reportedly said it had received information that Nelson Piquet Jr had been asked to crash on purpose and trigger the sequence of events that led to his team-mate, Fernando Alonso, moving from the back to the front of the field and scoring a win that went against form in the previous 14 races. A spokeswoman for the ING Renault F1 Team said today that there would be no comment.
Renault have been at the forefront of rumours that they would be the next to pull out of F1 following the withdrawal of Honda and BMW. The French manufacturer was considering quitting last year but Alonso's win in Singapore, and victory at the next race in Japan, secured the team's short-term future. Renault's best finish this year has been fifth place in Spain, an unsatisfactory result that could accelerate the decision to pull out should an inquiry find against the British-based team. If the FIA feels there is a case to answer, Renault could be called before the World Motor Sport Council and, if found guilty, face a heavy fine or even expulsion.

When Piquet crashed on the 14th of 61 laps and sprayed debris across the track, the incident prompted the appearance of the safety car and caused every team bar Renault to immediately rethink their pit-stop strategy. A period of slow laps behind the safety car is the ideal time to refuel without losing an excessive amount of time. Renault were the exception because Alonso had refuelled three laps before Piquet's crash and rejoined at the back of the field. As the 18 cars running ahead of the former world champion made their pit stops, Alonso moved to the front.
The question is: was Piquet ordered to crash or was the accident a handy coincidence for a team under pressure to score their first win of 2008? If it was the former, then Piquet was either incompetent or extremely brave. The heavy collision with the concrete wall lining the street circuit destroyed the right-hand side of the Renault and risked injury. Had Piquet wished to prompt the safety car, it would only have required a slightly more dramatic version of the incident employed by Michael Schumacher in 2005 when he parked his Ferrari against the barrier in Monte Carlo and hampered the progress of rivals during the closing minutes of qualifying. Schumacher was demoted to the back of the grid. A spokesmen for Piquet said he would be making no comment.

The investigation comes less than two weeks after an angry Piquet referred to Flavio Briatore as his "executioner" after being sacked by the boss of Renault F1 and replaced by the Frenchman Romain Grosjean. Ferrari were accused of interfering with the result of the 2002 Austrian grand prix when Rubens Barrichello was ordered to move over in the final 100 metres and allow Schumacher to win. Ferrari were not reprimanded but the FIA banned team orders. The Singapore incident, if deliberate, is much more serious due to the risk of debris injuring other drivers and, possibly, spectators.