Crashgate scandal

The Renault Formula 1 Crash Controversy (called Crashgate by the media) was a sport scandal starring by Renault F1 Team in the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. Shortly after being dropped from Renault after the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix , Nelson Piquet, Jr. revealed that he had been ordered by the team to crash, giving an advantage to team mate Fernando Alonso and hand him the race victory. This sparked an investigation from the FIA, and the team was charged with conspiracy on September 4, and were to answer the charge on September 21.
On September 16 Renault stated that they would not contest the charges. Managing director Flavio Briatore and executive director of engineering Pat Symonds had left the team.
On 21 September it was announced that the Renault F1 Team had been handed a disqualification. The disqualification was suspended for two years pending any further comparable rule infringements. Briatore was given an indefinite ban from all F1 events, whilst Symonds received a five-year suspension. Their sentences were overturned by a French court, although they both agreed not to work in F1 for a specific time as part of a later settlement reached with a governing body.
Category:Controversies