Comments on: Briatore banned for life, Renault escape lightly

By: Martin Collyer

Martin Collyer — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 05:38:49 +0000

“He changed the outcome of the championship and put lives at risk.”

He (Piquet) didn’t change the result of the championship, Ferrari messed up Massa’s pit stop, not Renault/Piquet, then the FIA/stewards awarded a drive through penalty.

Also these other poor results caused Massa to lose last year’s championship.

Australia, retired
Malaysia, spun off & retired
Britain 13th, 2 laps behind
Hungary, engine failure, retired.
Japan 7th.

By: Martin Collyer

Martin Collyer — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 05:32:46 +0000

“…all the Massa should have won the title stuff is crazy.”

Agree 100% Ross, folks should also remember Massa’s other poor results in 2008.

Australia, retired
Malaysia, spun off & retired
Britain 13th, 2 laps behind
Hungary, engine failure, retired.
Japan 7th.

Sorry for the late reply, been on a short break away from a PC.

By: Martin

Martin — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 22:14:36 +0000

Even BAR was given a stiffer penalty for their illegal fuel tank.

By: CptZorg

CptZorg — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:44:30 +0000

James, the FIA’s full ruling is out and apparently Renault has also supplied a whistleblower – Witness X. Very conveniently this witness has come forward to implicate Pat’s version of events but has denied anyone else knew. Is it just too convenient for Renault or could something this really happen in an F1 team with just 4 people knowing?

By: rpaco

rpaco — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:29:15 +0000

Quite true, but some witches need hunting down and putting out of business.

Here obviously some other witches escaped by using their magic powers.

By: rpaco

rpaco — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:23:24 +0000

Pity that, because the mass damper is a brilliant idea. Used all over the world now in tall buildings.

By: werewolf

werewolf — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:56:50 +0000

I did enjoy the Goodwood Revival, away from all this!

There are some great comments here but, for what it’s worth, my take is that the punishments are more or less reasonable. As the man in charge, it is correct that Briatore carries the can, especially given the dubious matters of the past. A lifetime ban for the seriousness of the offence seems fitting to me – and rather on him than a whole team of innocent people – not least because many fans will in any case never forgive him.

Symonds, as the next senior figure, deserves the next most severe sanction. He could and should have prevented it, even if Piquet was the author.

Something more than a suspended ban may have been appropriate for the team but with nobody left that was involved, that could be seen as pointless; and Renault (the manufacturer) has effectively fined itself by sponsoring the FIA’s road safety initiatives. Where I feel most let down is that the suspended ban requires a comparable offence to be activated, which is both extremely unlikely and could be said to invite a lesser transgression for a lesser penalty (if found out).

There’s no point in discussing Piquet because that was all decided before the hearing.

I just wish I could get away from the picture of Mosley celebrating another public beheading of his enemies. The penalties (more or less) fit the crime but the route to them has been an utter disgrace.

By: Yeti

Yeti — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:47:40 +0000

Everybody seems to say that Piquet should be punished also. I don’t understand. This event is (as we can see in the penalty) less severe as the Spygate scandal two years ago, where Alonso also got immunity while giving evidence against McLaren. And nobody disputes that. So why should they dispute the immunity of Nelson Piquet, being the only way to punish the real perpetrators.

By: " for sure "

" for sure " — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:14:59 +0000

Re. your proposal to put Max in a dungeon. Why, exactly, would you wish to reward him in this way?

By: michael

michael — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:03:36 +0000

renault should stick to what they do best. supply engines and get out of the championship as a constructor. Really the only ones who should stay are Ferrari and Mercedes. Toyota, Honda, Bmw…..not really any concrete reasons to stick around.