Briatore ‘knows nothing’ about claims

Renault F1 boss Flavio Briatore has told Bernie Ecclestone that he knows nothing about the race-fixing allegations that have engulfed his team.

Speaking to the British press, Ecclestone confirmed that the investigation the FIA is undertaking was prompted by claims that Renault instructed Nelson Piquet to crash in last year’s Singapore Grand Prix in order to help his team-mate Fernando Alonso win the race.

Renault has made no official comment on the allegations, but Ecclestone told The Times that Briatore – a close friend and business partner – had assured him he was unaware of any wrongdoing.

“All I know is that Flavio is insisting that he knows nothing about it,” said Ecclestone, adding that Briatore was “well and truly upset” about the allegations.

Formula 1’s commercial overlord said a cheating scandal could have big repercussions, potentially driving Renault away from F1 – which has already lost two manufacturers in Honda and BMW – and damaging the sport as a whole.

“This is not the sort of thing we need at the moment,” he said.

“I think it will p*** off Renault for a start. Them leaving the sport is a danger, obviously.


“I mean, I hope that it isn’t like that, but it’s the sort of thing that might happen.”

Nonetheless Ecclestone acknowledged that the gravity of the allegations – which have already drawn comparisons with the ‘Bloodgate’ scandal that has rocked rugby union – warranted a full inquiry by the governing body.

“I think it’s important to establish the truth, but the allegations are very serious,” he told The Daily Telegraph.

“We’ve never had this [race-fixing] in F1 and we don’t want it.”

The investigation is likely to involve poring over telemetry data and radio communications, interviewing team members and possibly sending inspectors to Renault’s factories in Enstone and Viry to examine computers and any other relevant material.

Ecclestone believes it is unlikely to corroborate the claims, however – since the obvious means by which instructions to drivers can be issued, such as radio communications, can already be accessed by the FIA.

“Obviously anything could happen and anyone could be involved,” he said.

“But until they have got some strong evidence… well, I can’t imagine how they could ever have any evidence, even if it were true.

“Unless somebody called over the radio and said ‘please crash on the next lap’, I don’t know what evidence they could have.

“We would have copies of those conversations and someone would have come forward in the interim.”

The identity of the FIA’s informant is not known, although the timing of the allegations – coming nearly a year after the race in question, but only weeks after Piquet’s acrimonious split with Renault – and the fact that the story first surfaced in Brazil has been widely noted.

Ecclestone suggested the possibility that Piquet was the source and was seeking revenge at what he perceived as unfair treatment by Renault and Briatore.

“If it’s just young Piquet saying this because he wants to say it, that’s one thing,” he said.

“If, on the other hand, there’s some reality to it, then it’s all different. It will be difficult to prove.”

Ecclestone described Piquet as “an angry young man” and predicted that he would not realise his ambition of returning to F1.

“You can safely say that he’s sort of in trouble now… you’d have to wonder what next, wouldn’t you?” he sai