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[billindenver]

Fairly and equally. Certainly...we can treat him equal to one of the Hamilton bunnies. Fair enough?

/duckandcover

[EwanM]

Fairly and equally. Certainly...we can treat him equal to one of the Hamilton bunnies. Fair enough?

/duckandcover

That suits me.

[FerrariFan63]

This whole affair does create an interesting precedent. The Renault team will be at least extremely damaged by this affair. And at worst, it might be utterly destroyed. It will then become more difficult for teams to cheat in the future, because the opportunity for drivers and other staff to blackmail the team, at least implicitly, is too great. Particularly with the FIA offering immunity around.

[SingaporeSling]

This whole affair does create an interesting precedent. The Renault team will be at least extremely damaged by this affair. And at worst, it might be utterly destroyed. It will then become more difficult for teams to cheat in the future, because the opportunity for drivers and other staff to blackmail the team, at least implicitly, is too great. Particularly with the FIA offering immunity around.

Interesting theory, but you seem to be mixing too things FIA/F1 rules and criminal laws. Cheating/race fixing breaks FIA/F1 rules therefore under FIA's jurisdiction. Blackmailing breaks criminal laws (in most countries), and therefore FIA's immunity is worth absolutely nothing.

[EwanM]

This whole affair does create an interesting precedent. The Renault team will be at least extremely damaged by this affair. And at worst, it might be utterly destroyed. It will then become more difficult for teams to cheat in the future, because the opportunity for drivers and other staff to blackmail the team, at least implicitly, is too great. Particularly with the FIA offering immunity around.

Well Renault hasn't really been destroyed. The current signs suggest that they are willing to continue in the championship. Yes their reputation has taken a massive knock, but they'll "survive" that if they wish to.

[Brandz]

This whole affair does create an interesting precedent. The Renault team will be at least extremely damaged by this affair. And at worst, it might be utterly destroyed. It will then become more difficult for teams to cheat in the future, because the opportunity for drivers and other staff to blackmail the team, at least implicitly, is too great. Particularly with the FIA offering immunity around.

Well Renault hasn't really been destroyed. The current signs suggest that they are willing to continue in the championship. Yes their reputation has taken a massive knock, but they'll "survive" that if they wish to.

i can see them letting alonso going to ferrari, getting a driver and starting fresh, new livery, new management.

[vaptin]

heres the opinion from the man that matters: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsp ... 259096.stm

[EwanM]

heres the opinion from the man that matters: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsp ... 259096.stm

Fecking Kers.

[vaptin]

you might remember that of course, we're talking about the same team here that decided to run kers in spa - now that is absolutely unacceptable, and I would never even have contemplated that in my time at jordan.

[EwanM]

In my day I was too poor to ask drivers to crash, we didn't have insurance at Jordan Grand Prix, all we had was a star screw driver and a little halogen heater.

[Gaz]

:rofl:

In my day I was too poor to ask drivers to crash, we didn't have insurance at Jordan Grand Prix, all we had was a star screw driver and a little halogen heater.

you forgot to add "...and no fecking kers"

[FerrariFan63]

Interesting theory, but you seem to be mixing too things FIA/F1 rules and criminal laws. Cheating/race fixing breaks FIA/F1 rules therefore under FIA's jurisdiction. Blackmailing breaks criminal laws (in most countries), and therefore FIA's immunity is worth absolutely nothing.

No, I wasn't confusing things. Clearly blackmail is a crime, but I wasn't thinking the FIA was offering immunity against that. A crime is technically a crime, but can only be prosecuted if there is evidence. As I mentioned in my previous post, talking of "implicit" blackmail, the drivers may not say anything sufficiently explicit to warrant a charge of blackmail. But a team that knows that a driver "knows too much" may be in a very weak position concerning various negotiations, terminations, etc. Even if nothing is said, or only if very subtle allusions are made.

Well Renault hasn't really been destroyed. The current signs suggest that they are willing to continue in the championship. Yes their reputation has taken a massive knock, but they'll "survive" that if they wish to.

The litmus test will be whether or not the team are still racing come the start of 2010. Of course, it could be that they drop out for other reasons. But if they're not around, then I think it likely that crashgate would be a large part of it.

[McLaren Fan]

Just when you think Formula One cannot get into any more trouble, it does. Not only has one of the biggest teams fixed a race, the FIA were aware that season that there might have been foul play, but did nothing about it. At best, this is negligence and red tape of gargantuan proportions. At worst, as with anything at the FIA, there could have been a political motivation. Briatore has been another thorn in the side of the FIA, to Mosley in particular this season, so it's no wonder he is being targeted now.

[billindenver]

Just when you think Formula One cannot get into any more trouble, it does. Not only has one of the biggest teams fixed a race, the FIA were aware that season that there might have been foul play, but did nothing about it. At best, this is negligence and red tape of gargantuan proportions. At worst, as with anything at the FIA, there could have been a political motivation. Briatore has been another thorn in the side of the FIA, to Mosley in particular this season, so it's no wonder he is being targeted now.

The most disturbing part is that if it were not for Mosely so desperately wanting to 'get Flav', this likely would never have been investigated at all. Every year I feel like the FIA is more and more a pathetic shadow of what a governing body is supposed to be.

[McLaren Fan]

From F1 Live:

Bernie Ecclestone has said he was "surprised" and "very sorry" to see his friend and business partner Flavio Briatore leave Formula One.

"I'm very, very sorry that he's ending his association with Formula One," the F1 chief executive, who frequently travelled to races with the Italian and co-owns the football club Queens Park Rangers with him, said after hearing that Briatore had fallen on his sword over the 'crash-gate' scandal.

"I feel sorry for him. Obviously, I'm surprised at what has happened, and I'm taken by surprise that they've decided to walk away," Ecclestone added.

Also departing Renault on Wednesday was Pat Symonds, who until the Piquet allegations was one of F1's most highly respected and regarded senior engineers and tacticians.

Ecclestone said: "I am surprised at Pat letting himself become involved."

It is speculated that the next move for the pair might be lifetime bans from FIA-sanctioned motor racing and even other forms of sport, criminal proceedings for ordering a dangerous crash, and other court actions, including by Ferrari or Felipe Massa for costing them the 2008 world championship.

The World Motor Sport Council will sit to consider possible sanctions against Renault, Briatore and Symonds next Monday.

"I've no idea what will happen. We'll have to wait and see. To be honest with you, I don't want to make any comments about the World Council," said Ecclestone.

He also told the Daily Mail newspaper: "You can't defend him (Briatore) at all. What he did was completely unnecessary. It's a pity that it's happened."

Source: GMM
© CAPSIS International

Ecclestone's views are hardly surprising, and he's not giving away much about the hearing. No doubt, he will be arguing for a less punishment, just as he did for McLaren, on commercial grounds. Of more interest is the future Briatore and Symonds could face.