FIA council begins hearing on Renault race-fix charge
September 21st, 2009 - 8:02 pm ICT by IANSParis, Sep 22 (DPA) A hearing which could decide the future of the Renault Formula One team began at FIA’s Paris headquarters Monday.
Renault was answering charges at the federation’s World Motor Sport Council that it ordered its former driver Nelson Piquet Jr to deliberately crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.
Renault could be fined, banned or even permanently excluded from Formula One. A ruling was expected later Monday.
Renault would not contest the charges in the race-fixing affair in which Piquet has said he was asked to crash his car in order to benefit team-mate Fernando Alonso.
The team was hoping FIA took into account last week’s departure of principal Flavio Briatore and chief engineer Patrick Symonds, who were not expected at the hearing.
Both Piquet and Alonso were appearing at the hearing of the council, the highest-ranking body within motor sports’ governing body.
FIA president Max Mosley, Formula One commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone and Renault motorsport chief Bernard Rey arrived at the meeting without comment.
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- Rise of Brawn GP and Button fails to paper over F1 cracks - Dec 12, 2009
- Ecclestone slams FIA's 'too harsh' ban verdict on Briatore - Sep 25, 2009
- Nelson Piquet Jr hopes to make a comeback to F1 - Oct 09, 2009
- Ecclestone may sell shareholding in QPR for 100 million pounds - Apr 27, 2011
- Massa feels 'robbed' of F1 world title by Piquet's deliberate Singapore crash - Oct 02, 2009
- All Formula One teams are cheats, claims Irvine - Sep 18, 2009
- Massa eases Nando tension - Oct 16, 2009
- Briatore knew he was guilty for F1 'spygate': Mosley - Dec 13, 2009
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