Renault 2009

According to the BBC Sports site, the Renault F1 team have secured a deal to see them on the grid for the 2010 Formula One Championship.

The Renault team will keep a 25% shareholding after it has been announced that a new buyer has been found with an official announcement due next week.

A final decision concerning the teams future was said to have been decided on Wednesday at an executive board meeting although whether Robert Kubica will be driving under the new ownership is still unknown.

The Renault teams reputation, ended in tatters in the 2009 season after the 2008 Singapore crash scandal came to light, with the team receiving a ban from the sport, suspended for two-years.  Flavio Briatore was banned for life for his part in the conspiracy and Pat Symonds received a five-year ban.  Both are planning on contesting the bans at the French courts, with a verdict due in the New Year.

Recently it was confirmed that Gerard Lopez was interested in buying the team but he faces competition with Prodrive boss David Richards as well as two other parties.

Flavio Briatore

Today the Renault F1 team appeared at the FIA World Motor Sport Council hearing in Paris to face charges concerning the deliberate crash of Nelson Piquet at the Singapore Grand Prix 2008.

The Renault team were given a two-year ban, suspended until 2011 with the statement from the FIA stating;

“The World Motor Sport Council considers Renault F1’s breaches relating to the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix to be of unparalleled severity.  Renault F1’s breaches not only compromised the integrity of the sport but also endangered the lives of spectators, officials, other competitors and Nelson Piquet Jr. himself.  The World Motor Sport Council considers that offences of this severity merit permanent disqualification from the FIA Formula One World Championship.  However, having regard to the points in mitigation mentioned above and in particular the steps taken by Renault F1 to identify and address the failings within its team and condemn the actions of the individuals involved, the WMSC has decided to suspend Renault F1’s disqualification until the end of the 2011 season. The World Motor Sport Council will only activate this disqualification if Renault F1 is found guilty of a comparable breach during that time.

In addition the World Motor Sport Council notes Renault F1’s apology and agrees that the team should pay the costs of the investigation. It also accepts the offer of a significant contribution to the FIA’s safety work”.

Flavio Briatore has been banned from the sport for an indefinite period;

“As regards Mr. Briatore, the World Motor Sport Council declares that, for an unlimited period, the FIA does not intend to sanction any International Event, Championship, Cup, Trophy, Challenge or Series involving Mr. Briatore in any capacity whatsoever, or grant any license to any Team or other entity engaging Mr. Briatore in any capacity whatsoever. It also hereby instructs all officials present at FIA-sanctioned events not to permit Mr. Briatore access to any areas under the FIA’s jurisdiction.  Furthermore, it does not intend to renew any Superlicence granted to any driver who is associated (through a management contract or otherwise) with Mr. Briatore, or any entity or individual associated with Mr. Briatore. In determining that such instructions should be applicable for an unlimited period, the World Motor Sport Council has had regard not only to the severity of the breach in which Mr. Briatore was complicit but also to his actions in continuing to deny his participation in the breach despite all the evidence”.

Pat Symonds, was given a five-year ban;

As regards Mr. Symonds, the World Motor Sport Council declares that, for a period of five years, the FIA does not intend to sanction any International Event, Championship, Cup, Trophy, Challenge or Series involving Mr. Symonds in any capacity whatsoever, or grant any license to any Team or other entity engaging Mr. Symonds in any capacity whatsoever. It hereby instructs, for a period of five years, all officials present at FIA-sanctioned events not to permit Mr. Symonds access to any areas under the FIA’s jurisdiction. In determining that such instructions should be effective for a period of five years the World Motor Sport Council has had regard: (i) to Mr. Symonds’ acceptance that he took part in the conspiracy; and (ii) to his communication to the meeting of the World Motor Sport Council that it was to his “eternal regret and shame” that he participated in the conspiracy.

Fernando Alonso attended the meeting today and was thanked for his cooperation in the enquiries by the World Motor Sport Council, who stated that the Spaniard was in no way involved in the Renault breach of regulations.

Nelson Piquet Jr. had been given immunity in relation to the incident for volunteering his evidence in the case.

Flavio Briatore Congratulating Fernando Alonso In Monaco 2009

It has been confirmed that both Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds have both left the Renault F1 Team today and have said that they will not be contesting the charges of the fixed crash at the Singapore race, where they are accused of ordering driver Nelson Piquet Jr. to crash.

In a statement issued the team said;

“The ING Renault F1 Team will not dispute the recent allegations made by the FIA concerning the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix,” the team said in a statement;

“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 September 21), the team will not make any further comment.”

Both of the accused are due to face the Governing body’s World Motor Sport Council on Monday 21st September, to answer charges of bringing the F1 sport into disrepute, which if found guilty could force the Renault team out of the series.

Nelson Piquet Jr.

Nelson Piquet is adamant that he was instructed to crash his Renault Formula One car at last year’s Singapore Grand Prix, in order to help his team-mate Fernando Alonso’s race strategy.

Piquet allegedly claims that he agreed to the crash at a pre-race meeting between himself, Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds, as he believed it was within his interests to do so.

Today a copy of the statement sent to the FIA back in July , said to be from Nelson Piquet Jr. appeared on a website.  The statement claims that Briatore even told the Brazilian driver, which corner to crash on to cause the safety car deployment.

The hearing for the case is set to take place on September 21st in Paris, with Bernie Ecclestone already warning that if found guilty, there would be serious consequences for both Piquet and the Renault team.

Bavaria City Racing 2009 - Rotterdam - Fernando Alonso - Renault

The Formula One Renault team, have today announced that Nelson Piquet Jr. has now been released from his contract with the team with Swiss-Frenchman Romain Grosjean taking his place in the cockpit for the remainder of the season.

The 23-year-old is the teams third driver and drove a Formula One car for the first time at the UK round of the 2008 World Series by Renault weekend in June, demonstrating the R27.

Grosjean said;

“I am very proud that the Renault F1 Team has given me the chance to become a race driver.  I’m looking forward to driving the R29 and helping the team get the best results possible. It’s also an honour to be Fernando’s team-mate and to make my Formula One debut alongside a double world champion is especially motivating.”

After winning the French Formula Renault title in 2006, Grosjean became part of the Renault ’s Driver Development programme (RDD).

Flavio Briatore, team manager said;

“We are happy to give Romain the chance to start racing with the team.  He is an impressive young talent and we expect him to show his skills driving alongside Fernando as we take an aggressive approach to the second half of the season.”

On Sunday the team took the streets of Bavaria in Rotterdam, delighting the crowds with a demonstration of the R28 with Fernando Alonso and Adam Khan at the wheel.

The Dutch Prime Minister was taken around the street circuit by Alonso in a Renault Clio Sport before the Spaniard gave an impressive display of a one-handed donut before throwing his gloves to the fans.

I'm telling my dad!

Nelson Piquet Jr., has confirmed that he is to lose his Renault seat before the end of the season and he is not prepared to go quietly.

His fury was evident in the statement released yesterday as he blamed Flavio Briatore for being his “executioner” during the worst period of his life.

In the statement, Piquet Jr. says;

“I have received notice from the Renault F1 team of its intention to stop me from driving for them in the current F1 season. I want to say thanks to the small group who supported me and that I worked together at Renault F1, although it is obviously with great disappointment that I receive such news. But, at the same time, I feel a sense of relief for the end of the worst period of my career, and the possibility that I can now move on and put my career back on the right track and try to recover my reputation of a fast, winning driver. I am a team player and there are dozens of people I have worked with in my career who would vouch for my character and talent, except unfortunately the person that has had the most influence on my career in Formula 1.

The path to F1 was always going to be tricky, and my father and I therefore signed a management contract with Flavio Briatore, who we believed was an excellent option with all the necessary contacts and management skills. Unfortunately, that was when the black period of my career started. I spent one year as a test driver, where I only did a handful of tests, and the next year started as a race driver with Renault. After the opening part of the season, some strange situations began to happen. As a beginner in F1, I could only expect from my team a lot of support and preparation to help me in getting up to the task. Instead, I was relegated as “someone who drives the other car” with no attention at all. In addition, on numerous occasions, fifteen minutes before qualifying and races, my manager and team boss (Briatore) would threaten me, telling me if I didn’t get a good result, he had another driver ready to put in my place. I have never needed threats before to get results. In 2008 I scored 19 points, finished once on the podium in second place, having the best debut year of a Brazilian driver in F1.

For the 2009 season Briatore, again acting both as my manager and team boss of Renault F1, promised me everything would be different, that I would get the attention I deserved but had never received, and that I would get “at least equal treatment” inside the team. He made me sign a performance-based contract, requiring me to score 40% of Fernando Alonso’s points by mid-way through the season. Despite driving with Fernando, two-time world champion and a really excellent driver, I was confident that, if I had the same conditions, I would easily attain the 40% of points required by the contract.

Unfortunately, the promises didn’t turn into reality again. With the new car I completed 2002km of testing compared to Fernando’s 3839km. Only three days of my testing was in dry weather – only one of Fernando’s was wet. I was only testing with a heavy car, hard tyres, mostly on the first day (when the track is slow and reliability is poor), or when the weather was bad. Fernando was driving a light car with soft tyres in the dry, fine conditions. I never had a chance to be prepared for the qualifying system we use. In Formula 1 today, the difference between 1st and 15th position is sometimes less than a second. It means that 0.2 or 0.3s can make you gain eight positions.

In addition to that, car development is now happening on a race-to-race basis due to the in season testing ban. Of the first nine races that I ran this year, in four of them Fernando had a significant car upgrade that I did not have. I was informed by the engineers at Renault that in those races I had a car that was between 0.5 and 0.8s a lap slower than my teammate. If I look at Germany (where I out-qualified my teammate despite that), if I had that advantage in qualifying I would be fifth and not tenth. If we had that difference in the race, I would have finished ahead of my teammate, which I did in Silverstone, despite him having upgrades that I did not have.

I believe without doubt in my talent and my performance. I didn’t get this far by getting bad results. Anyone who knows my history knows that the results I am having in F1 do not match my CV and my ability. The conditions I have had to deal with during the last two years have been very strange to say the least – there are incidents that I can hardly believe occurred myself. If I now need to give explanations, I am certain it is because of the unfair situation I have been in the past two years. I always believed that having a manager was being a part of a team and having a partner. A manager is supposed to encourage you, support you, and provide you with opportunities. In my case it was the opposite. Flavio Briatore was my executioner.

Being under pressure is not new to me. I have had criticism throughout my career, and have also had a lot of expectations put on me due to my name. Up until now I always met those expectations – surpassed them even. I have never before felt the need to defend myself or fight back from rumours and criticism because I knew the truth and I just wanted to concentrate on racing – I didn’t ever let it affect me. Fortunately, I can now say to those people who supported me through my career that I’m back on the good tracks and considering the options for a new start in my F1 career in a fair and positive way”.

It is rumoured that the test driver for the Renault team Roman Grosjean, is to be the replacement driver although this has yet to be confirmed.

However, it is now being suggested that Nelson Piquet Senior, is about to rescue the failing BMW Sauber team in partnership with Peter Sauber.

Nelson Piquet Jr.

According to a Brazilian TV network, Nelson Piquet Junior, has ended his racing career with the Renault team who claim that he is to be replaced by reserve driver Romain Grosjean.

When asked if the rumours were true or if Piquet would be in the cockpit at the Hungary Grand Prix, Flavio Briatore answered “We don’t know yet”.

Allegedly, the Brazilian driver’s contract stated that by midway through the season he should have achieved at least 40% of his team-mates points total.  Piquet hasn’t scored a single point this season while his team-mate Fernando Alonso is running in ninth place in the championship with 13 points.

Although there is still no confirmation, it looks likely that the days of Sebastien Bourdais are numbered with the Scuderia Toro Rosso team.

It is rumoured that the British F3 Champion Jaime Alguersuari is set to take his seat and would also be the youngest Formula One driver in history at the age of just 19.

Alguersuari, allegedly gave an interview on Spanish radio station ‘Radio Catalunya’, in which he said of Bourdais;

“He is 30, he has a daughter, has won four championships in the American Champ Cars, won F3000 here in Europe and, honestly, is a highly-trained driver,”

But it seems that this year he has not given it everything, as he should have. I truly believe that the decision by Red Bull is just, but it is never nice to see someone taken away after half a season”.

It is believed that Alguersuari will be in the cockpit alongside Sebastien Buemi at the next round of the Formula One Championship which takes place in Hungary on 26th July.

Williams have already been hit by the withdrawal of Icelandic Baugur Group, Lenevo and Petrobas during the last few months, but have managed to renew or upgrade deals with ten other sponsors and team owner Frank Williams has said that they are well placed to see out the next two years.

Despite the drastic cost cutting measures already implemented in F1, Max Mosley has recently said that more cuts need to be agreed very soon if Formula 1 is to survive. Renault boss Flavio Briatore, who’s own team will lose it’s main sponsor ING next season, believes that the teams are ready to negotiate further cuts in running costs to ensure that the  sport is more viable, not only for the teams already involved, but also to attract more competitors on to the grid.

Fernando Alonso

The Spanish Formula One driver Fernando Alonso and his wife Raquel escaped unhurt from an incident on the private plane they were travelling in from Kenya to Spain on Sunday evening.

Alonso had been visiting the holiday home of boss Flavio Briatore before flying onto Nairobi when the plane’s wing made contact with an airport building.

It appears only the wing of the aircraft was damaged and noone on board the plane was injured but Alonso postponed his return until today.

ING Renault

The Formula One Renault team have today confirmed their drivers for the 2009 season, and there is no change in the line-up, racing again are Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet Jr.

Fernando Alonso has signed a contract for the next two seasons with the team while Nelson Piquet Jr has been signed for at least one more season.

Flavio Briatore said,

“We are happy to confirm both Fernando and Nelson for next season.  This gives the ING Renault F1 Team, one of the most exciting driver pairings with the perfect blend of youth and experience.

Fernando’s commitment for the next two seasons confirms the faith he has in the team and we are delighted to continue working with him.  He has been a big asset throughout this difficult season and his leadership and talent, matched with the team’s hard work and determination, have paid off with out recent performances, which have place the ING Renault F1 Team back among the top competitors of Formula 1″.

Fernando added,

“I have decided to stay with the ING Renault F1 Team because, as I have often repeated this season, they have always been my first choice and I very happy and comfortable with them.  It’s a very close-knit team with a competitive and winning mentality, and also a relaxed and warm attitude, which suits me perfectly.

After a difficult start to the season, we have overcome our difficulties and constantly improved our performances.  My back to back wins in Singapore and Japan, and my recent second place podium finish in Brazil, have proved how competitive we can be.

In the past we have won championships together, as well as going through tough moments, but we are now determined to show that we can repeat the success together in the coming seasons.”

Nelson commented,

“Obviously I am delighted to have the opportunity to race for the ING Renault F1 Team for a second year.  Although I have had a tough year, I have learned a lot from my rookie season and will aim to put that experience to good use next season.

I want to thank the team for their support this year and for the trust they have shown in me for the future.  I’m already excited about 2009 and looking forward to working with the team over the winter so that we can start next season strongly.”