The FIA has confirmed that Renault will face an extraordinary hearing of the World Motor Sport Council later this month, following allegations that the French Manufacturer caused a deliberate crash during last year’s Singapore Grand Prix.
Last weekend the FIA had announced that it was investigating the Enstone-based team over claims that it had ordered its then-driver, Nelson Piquet, to deliberately cause an accident in an attempt to bring out a safety car and hand a significant advantage to team-mate Fernando Alonso.
In a statement issued on its website, the sport’s Governing body confirmed the extraordinary meeting:
“Representatives of ING Renault F1 have been requested to appear before an extraordinary meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Paris on Monday, 21 September 2009.
“The team representatives have been called to answer charges, including a breach of Article 151c of the International Sporting Code, that the team conspired with its driver, Nelson Piquet Jr, to cause a deliberate crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix with the aim of causing the deployment of the safety car to the advantage of its other driver, Fernando Alonso.”
After being charged with bring the sport into disrepute, Renault could now face a number of punishments from fines and points deductions through to race bans and exclusion from this year’s world championship.
During the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, Nelson Piquet’s crash handed Fernando Alonso an unlikely lead after the Spaniard was able to make full use of his early pitstop to jump the leaders.
At the time of the incident, Piquet denied all allegations of foul play, claiming that the crash had been a result of his own driver error.
The Renault team have so far refused to comment on the matter.
