Zeenews Bureau
London: Caught in a controversy of race-fixing allegations, Renault faced severe embarrassment on Wednesday when its team boss Flavio Briatore and engineering chief Pat Symonds quit their post amid confirmed reports that the team would ‘not dispute’ allegations of race-fixing at the World Motor Sport Council hearing scheduled next week.
Earlier Renault had been accused of requesting driver Nelson Piquet to crash deliberately during last year's Singapore Grand Prix in order to cause a safety car period that would help his team-mate Fernando Alonso. Alonso went on to win the race.
"The ING Renault F1 Team will not dispute the recent allegations made by the FIA concerning the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix," said a statement from the team.
"It also wishes to state that its managing director, Flavio Briatore and its executive director of engineering, Pat Symonds, have left the team.”
"Before attending the hearing before the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Paris on 21 September 2009, the team will not make any further comment."
The issue came to the forefront after Nelson Piquet complained to the FIA with that Briatore and Symonds had asked him to deliberately cause an accident that would bring out the safety car.
If charges are proved correct, Renault are likely to face a ban for breaching serious safety rules.
First Published: Wednesday, September 16, 2009, 17:36