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105-491: The Renault Formula One crash controversy , dubbed as " Crashgate " by some in the media, was a sporting scandal caused when Renault F1 driver Nelson Piquet Jr. deliberately crashed during the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix to give a sporting advantage to his Renault teammate, Fernando Alonso . On 28 September 2008, on the 15th lap of the Singapore race, which was close to the expected pit window for everyone's first stop,

210-663: A "very, very bad race". He had a better race at Bahrain on his way to 10th making up one of the highest number of places behind Webber, whom he held off at the end of the race. In Spain he finished 12th. Later, at the 2009 German Grand Prix , Piquet out-qualified his teammate for the first time. However, following the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix , he still had not scored any points in the 2009 season. On 3 August 2009 Piquet confirmed that he had been dropped by Renault. He hit out hard at his former manager and team boss Flavio Briatore calling him his 'executioner' and questioning Briatore's general Formula One knowledge. Piquet also said

315-515: A 7-point lead. Given that Hamilton eventually won the championship by one point with an overtake on Timo Glock in Brazil, Massa argues that Crashgate ultimately cost him the title. Former FIA president Jean Todt also backed Massa's claims suggesting the FIA should have cancelled the results of the race as soon as the allegations of race fixing first came to light in 2009. In a 2018 retrospective article

420-734: A case of industrial espionage between teams (including Renault F1); and an instance of the 2008 World Champion Lewis Hamilton being found to have lied to race stewards in March 2009. The scandal interrupted the team's parent company Renault S.A. 's launch of four electric vehicles at the Frankfurt Motor Show after journalists questioned Renault chief executive Carlos Ghosn over the affair, who directed all inquiries to Bernard Rey, chairman of Renault F1. On 17 September, Patrick Pelata , Renault S.A.'s chief operating officer , first representative from Renault to officially comment on

525-497: A certain point in time in order to trigger a safety car phase and help his team-mate Alonso. We decided not to do anything for the time being. We wanted to protect the sport and save it from a huge scandal." He added: "There was a rule at the time that a world championship ranking was untouchable after the FIA awards ceremony at the end of the year. So Hamilton was presented with the World Championship trophy and everything

630-527: A contract extension with the team. However, in December 2010, the Piquets won a libel case against Renault. Renault apologised to Piquet for defaming him and paid substantial damages. The Piquets' lawyer said "They were both treated appallingly by Renault F1 when they dared to reveal the scandal to the governing body... F1 has been deprived of the best of Nelsinho and it is to [F1's] detriment that his talent

735-401: A decision I regret". On 14 September 2009, Symonds was also reported to have been offered immunity from action if he provided the FIA with details of the alleged conspiracy. Symonds was reported to have told FIA investigators that the initial idea of a crash had come from Piquet Jr. On 15 September, The Times published extracts of Renault F1 radio conversations transmitted before and after

840-537: A delay in summons, a failure to state the charges in advance and a lack of access to documents and "Witness X". On 5 January 2010, the French Tribunal de Grande Instance overturned his ban, and awarded him €15,000 in compensation. Symonds' ban was also overturned, and he was awarded €5,000 in compensation. Briatore was believed to be suing the FIA for damages in addition to getting his ban overturned, and has also stated his intention to pursue legal action against

945-685: 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." The team was called to a meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) in Paris on 21 September, days before the 2009 running of the Singapore Grand Prix. After being charged, the Renault F1 team stated that they would be making no comments until

1050-725: A disappointing start to the 2009 season, failing to make past the first qualifying session in any of the first three races. His first race, in Australia , ended on lap 24 when he retired with brake failure. He had a better race in Malaysia the following week finishing 13th, two places and seven seconds behind his teammate Alonso after the race was cut short due to extreme weather. China was another disappointment, however, and after spinning several times and requiring two new nose cones for his car he eventually finished 16th and last, two laps down, in what team manager Flavio Briatore described as

1155-588: A doubt he knew it." Six weeks later, it was reported that Alonso turned down Massa's charity kart race invitation. A few hours after the new Campos Meta team had confirmed Bruno Senna as one of its drivers for 2010, F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone said in the paddock of the new Yas Marina Circuit that he would like to see the sacked Piquet get another chance in F1 as Senna's teammate. Ecclestone said "It'd be good, wouldn't it, another good name. That's what's being talked about, actually." On December 28, 2009, it

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1260-933: A drive and I would probably be further influenced in that decision by what took place." Christian Horner , team principal of Red Bull Racing , added, "I don't think we would have any interest [in Piquet Jr.] at Red Bull Racing." Following the scandal Piquet Jr. would join NASCAR in the United States, competing full time in the Camping World Truck Series from 2011 to 2012 and the Nationwide Series in 2013. Piquet Jr. also competed full-time in Global Rallycross for SH racing from 2014 to 2015. In 2014–2015, Piquet Jr. took part in

1365-457: A low fuel load and making an early pit stop on the twelfth lap. During the course of the investigation and before the WMSC hearing, Alonso was absolved of any blame by the FIA. On 11 September, Mosley confirmed that Piquet Jr. would face no action after making his two statements, even if the case was found in favour of Renault. On 11 September, the day after Piquet Jr.'s statement to the FIA

1470-491: A one-year stint with McLaren in 2007, he returned to the team in 2008. English engineer Pat Symonds had risen to his position as executive director of Engineering with Renault F1 having worked for the Benetton team, and having entered Formula One with Benetton's predecessor Toleman Motosport in the early 1980s. Brazilian racing car driver Nelson Piquet Jr. – son of Formula One triple-world champion Nelson Piquet – joined

1575-400: A result. As a mark of the sincerity of our apology and regret, we have agreed to pay them a substantial amount of damages for libel as well as their costs, and have undertaken not to repeat these allegations at any time in the future. It also accepts that Mr Piquet Junior and his father did not invent these allegations to blackmail the team into allowing him to drive for them for the remainder of

1680-483: A specified time as part of a later settlement reached with the governing body. Briatore would ultimately return to F1 in 2022 as an ambassador, and to Team Enstone in 2024 as an advisor, while Symonds would return to the sport in 2011 as a technical consultant for Virgin Racing . The Renault F1 Formula One team came into existence with the car manufacturer Renault 's re-entrance into Formula One in 2000, by purchasing

1785-526: A technical consultant for Virgin Racing (which later became Marussia in 2012). In 2013, he left the team to serve as chief technical officer of Williams from 2013 to 2016. In March 2017 Symonds was hired as Formula One's Chief Technical officer, a position he would hold until May 2024 when he became the executive engineering consultant for the Andretti Cadillac F1 program. In 2022, Flavio Briatore returned to Formula One as an ambassador for

1890-487: A week after the FIA's decision and right before the next race, the 2009 Singapore Grand Prix , with the team removing their logos from the cars before the event. Major sponsor Mutua Madrileña withdrew its sponsorship of Renault F1 first, just before the 2009 Singapore Grand Prix weekend, believing that the situation "could affect the image, reputation and good name of the team's sponsors." Mutua Madrileña did not withdraw sponsorship of Renault F1 driver Fernando Alonso , as he

1995-484: Is going to suffer as a genuine challenge, which is what I always felt it should be and would like it to be, of skill and competitiveness". Former racing driver Eddie Irvine , who retired from Formula One at the end of 2002, believed that the response to the Singapore incident had been an overreaction, stating that "This [Singapore incident] is probably slightly on the wrong side of the cheating thing but in days past every team have done whatever they could to win – cheat, bend

2100-486: Is now being demonstrated elsewhere." Renault issued an apology in response to the High Court decision: "The team accepts that the allegations made by Nelson Piquet Jr. were not false. "It also accepts that Piquet Jr. and his father did not invent these allegations in order to blackmail the team." On 15 October 2009, Felipe Massa was reported as saying he was "certain" Alonso was involved in the scandal, adding, "Without

2205-578: The 2008 French Grand Prix passing his twice-World Champion teammate Fernando Alonso in the last few laps. In the British Grand Prix at Silverstone , Piquet was at one point lying in fourth place, having passed his teammate who was on old tyres. Piquet aquaplaned and spun out on lap 36 along with several other top runners as the wet conditions reached their worst. A race later, however, at the German Grand Prix , he finished ahead of

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2310-558: The American School of Brasília until he was 16 years old, when he decided to pursue his racing career full-time. Piquet's racing career started in 1993 in Brazilian karting , where he would stay until 2001 when he moved to Formula Three Sudamericana . His father's wealth enabled him to race for his own team, a practice he continued until he left GP2 Series . He raced in part of the 2001 season there, staying for 2002 winning

2415-544: The Benetton Formula One team. Italian businessman Flavio Briatore had been managing director of Benetton until 1997, when he was replaced by Prodrive boss David Richards . After managing Renault's motorsport sister company Mecachrome , Briatore returned to the main team following the Renault takeover, again as managing director. In addition to his Formula One sporting interests, as of August 2007, Briatore

2520-504: The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), Formula One's governing body. After an investigation, Renault F1 were charged with conspiracy on 4 September, and were to answer the charge on 21 September 2009. On 16 September, Renault stated that they would not contest the charges, and announced that the team's managing director, Flavio Briatore , and its executive director of engineering, Pat Symonds , had left

2625-758: The Hitech Piquet Sports in the GP2 Series , winning his first race at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium , and tested for the BAR-Honda Formula One team. In 2006, Piquet took second place in the championship behind British driver Lewis Hamilton in his second year of GP2. During the 2007 season he was the official test and reserve driver for the Renault Formula One team. The 2008 season saw Piquet promoted to

2730-413: The Renault Formula One race team to drive alongside returning double World Champion Fernando Alonso . It was reported that he gained preference for the seat over Heikki Kovalainen because Kovalainen was seen as a potential rival to Alonso, and such a challenge to Alonso could damage the team. The first race of the 2008 season in Australia saw Piquet start 21st and damage his car in a collision on

2835-503: The Renault R28 driven by Piquet Jr. crashed into the circuit wall at turn 17, necessitating a safety car deployment. Alonso had previously made an early pitstop, and was promoted to the race lead as other cars were running out of fuel and were forced to pit under safety car conditions, resulting in a penalty, or shortly after the safety car period, which pushed them several positions behind the now compact pack. Alonso subsequently won

2940-627: The #15 truck. In August, he competed in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at the Watkins Glen International road course and finished seventh in his first start in the series. On December 13, 2010, Kevin Harvick, Inc. announced that Piquet would drive a third truck for the team for the full 2011 Truck series season, the #8 Chevrolet with Chris Carrier as crew chief. Piquet finished 10th in points and

3045-424: The 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. It also wishes to state that its managing director, Flavio Briatore and its executive director of engineering, Pat Symonds, have left the team. The FIA confirmed that 21 September meeting would still go ahead following the departure of Briatore and Symonds, with sanctions against Renault F1 still possible. The day after the Renault announcement, Renault confirmed Briatore had resigned from

3150-595: The 2009 season." It was suggested in the media that if Briatore were personally found guilty of race-fixing, he might fail the English Football League 's fit-and-proper-person test which applies to football club owners and directors, whose regulations exclude people who are "subject to a ban from a sports governing body relating to the administration of their sport", though a BBC report opined that his position might be secure given that he had left Renault. The Football League stated that they would wait for

3255-527: The 2013 season, Piquet was fined $ 10,000 by NASCAR and placed on probation until the end of the season for remarks described as "homophobic" made over social media. In 2014, Piquet was hired by Randy Humphrey Racing to race the No. 77 Ford in the Sprint Cup Series ' Cheez-It 355 at The Glen at Watkins Glen International , which would be his debut in the series. Two years later, Piquet returned to

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3360-748: The BBC argued that nothing changed in Formula One as a result of the scandal and nobody in the sport wants to talk about it. In 2021 Motorsport.com listed the incident as one of biggest incidents of cheating in F1's history. Sporting scandal This is a list of major sports scandals . Nelson Piquet Jr. He also races a ORECA 07 in the LMP2 Pro/Am class of the European Le Mans Series for Team Virage. The son of three-time Formula One world champion Nelson Piquet , he

3465-584: The British Formula 3 Championship. He became the youngest driver to have ever won the championship at 19 years and 2 months. He also did further running for Williams . In 2005, Piquet took part in the A1 Grand Prix for A1 Team Brazil , winning both the Sprint and Main races at the first event of the season at Brands Hatch , as well as scoring a point for the fastest lap. He also drove for

3570-603: The Crashgate controversy. Piquet told Brazilian Rede Globo that he would test a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series truck for Red Horse Racing from Rockingham Speedway in North Carolina on October 12, 2009. When asked whether the test could lead to a NASCAR drive next season, Piquet said it was not the plan. However, he announced that he would race in NASCAR in 2010—albeit without specifying which series—during

3675-413: The FIA, Renault F1, Piquet Jr. or even Felipe Massa could take legal action over the incident. It was speculated by the media that Briatore and Symonds could be extradited to Singapore to face criminal charges relating to the incident, which according to one lawyer could encompass "causing malicious or willful damage to property, endangering a vehicle and criminal conspiracy to commit a serious crime". This

3780-639: The Ferrari of Felipe Massa to claim second place to McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and his first podium finish. He had been the only driver on a one-stop strategy which, with the help of a safety car segment, gained him several positions. In the Japanese Grand Prix , he finished fourth. Despite rumours that he was on his way out, Renault decided to keep Piquet by signing him to a one-year contract. Alonso continued as his teammate, hoping to elevate Renault into title contention once again. Piquet had

3885-585: The Nationwide Series Sargento 200 at Road America ; he was the first Brazilian driver to win a NASCAR national touring series event. On August 18, 2012, Piquet won his first race in the Camping World Truck Series at Michigan. On lap 56 of the race he spun out racing Kurt Busch after a restart. The team pitted under the caution and it allowed them to use fuel strategy later in the race to obtain their first win of

3990-629: The Nationwide Series, now known as the Xfinity Series, driving the No. 98 Ford for Biagi-DenBeste Racing at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course . Released by Turner Scott Motorsports due to a lack of sponsorship following the 2013 season, in April 2014 it was announced that Piquet would contest the 2014 Global RallyCross Championship with SH Racing , driving the No. 07 Ford Fiesta ST. He collected four podiums in nine races, and finished

4095-520: The Piquet family. On 11 January 2010, the FIA announced that they would appeal the decision of the Tribunal de Grande Instance to overturn the bans imposed on Briatore and Symonds. The FIA reinstated the bans while the appeal was active, but stated that drivers managed by Briatore would be granted their superlicences for 2010. On 12 April, the FIA announced a settlement with Briatore and Symonds, and that

4200-437: The Renault F1 team as the second driver alongside Alonso for the 2008 season, having been their reserve and test driver during 2007. Since October 2006, Piquet Jr. was also personally contracted to Flavio Briatore's management company FFBB. Before the Singapore incident, Renault F1 had not won a race for almost two years (the last Grand Prix won was on 8 October 2006, the Japanese Grand Prix ), and were said to be close to quitting

4305-400: The Renault F1 team would not have been expecting injuries to result from the crash, in contrast to incidents such as the assault on ice skater Nancy Kerrigan . Responding to Flavio Briatore's resignation from Renault F1, Formula One Management 's Bernie Ecclestone stated that "It is a pity that Flavio has ended his Formula One career in this way", "You can't defend him at all. What he did

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4410-487: The Renault F1 team, allegations surfaced that Piquet had deliberately crashed his car at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix , to benefit his teammate Fernando Alonso , who went on to win the race. At the time, Piquet characterized the crash as a simple mistake. Later, he recanted, making statements to the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) that it was deliberate, and that he had been asked by Renault team principal Flavio Briatore and engineer Pat Symonds to stage

4515-682: The Renault boss favoured teammate Fernando Alonso . Renault's test and reserve driver Romain Grosjean replaced Piquet for the rest of the season. Along with several other drivers, Piquet was linked to a drive with Ferrari as a replacement for the injured Felipe Massa , after stand-in Luca Badoer finished second-to-last at the European Grand Prix . However, Ferrari instead signed Giancarlo Fisichella who Piquet had replaced at Renault in 2008. In August 2009, after Piquet left

4620-399: The Singapore Grand Prix between Renault F1 personnel including Piquet Jr., Alonso, Symonds and Briatore. On 16 September the Renault F1 team announced it would not be contesting the charges at the meeting of the WMSC in Paris on 21 September, and stated that both Briatore and Symonds had left the team. The ING Renault F1 Team will not dispute the recent allegations made by the FIA concerning

4725-498: The Singapore crash affair, stated that "The [Renault F1] team believes that a mistake has been made, and punishment must follow. Flavio Briatore considered himself to be morally responsible and resigned" and that the team would defer making a decision on the future options for the team. Pelata added that he did not wish the actions of Briatore and Symonds to "reflect upon the whole company and the entire Formula 1 team". In addition, Ghosn also called for calm and for Renault to "not react in

4830-401: The Singapore incident to the 2007 espionage scandal , declared that "This [the Singapore crash incident], though, is new. The biggest damage ever. Now the FIA must punish Renault heavily to restore credibility in the sport." Former 1996 F1 World Champion Damon Hill described the Singapore crash as "not a very good episode" for the sport and said of the future of F1 that "I'm concerned the sport

4935-434: The Singapore scandal that "There is something fundamentally rotten and wrong at the heart of Formula One. Never in my experience has Formula One been in such a mood of self-destruction. Millions of fans are amazed, if not disgusted, at a sport which now goes from crisis to crisis with everyone blaming everyone else." Former three-time Formula One World Champion and former Jaguar Racing team manager Niki Lauda , while comparing

5040-685: The championship with four races to go. In 2002 he also raced one race of Brazilian Formula Renault . In 2003, Piquet moved to the United Kingdom where he joined the British Formula 3 Championship and formed the Piquet Sports team. He went on to finish the championship in 3rd place with six wins, five podiums and eight pole positions. A test with the Williams Formula One team followed. In 2004, Piquet won

5145-404: The charges, and that both Briatore and Symonds had left the team. On 21 September, on conclusion of the FIA hearings, Piquet, who was 23 at the time of the 2008 Singapore GP, said "I bitterly regret my actions to follow the orders I was given... My situation at Renault turned into a nightmare. Having dreamed of being a Formula One driver and having worked so hard to get there, I found myself at

5250-408: The circuit wall at turn seventeen, one of the turns on the circuit which did not have a crane nearby, necessitating the deployment of the safety car . Safety car regulations in 2008 meant that the pit lane was closed until all cars had been bunched up behind the safety car. Hence the advantage of the lead cars would be eliminated before they were able to pit and after they did pit, they would re-enter

5355-474: The conclusion of the investigation before examining Briatore's fitness to continue to be a director of Queens Park Rangers F.C. The Football League board discussed the matter on 8 October 2009 and declared that they would be awaiting a response from Briatore to various questions before commenting further. Briatore stepped down from the club in February 2010 as a result. In addition to any sporting sanctions by

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5460-546: The controversy effectively ended his hopes of continuing in Formula One. Martin Brundle , at the time the BBC 's Formula One commentator, suggested that Piquet Jr. was now unemployable in Formula One, saying that no team or sponsor would want to be associated with the Piquet family. Brundle noted that Piquet Jr. "didn't deliver at Renault, he wasn't fast enough, that's why he was released and that's why he has dropped hand grenades into

5565-411: The crash as "a simple mistake". In the post-race press release from Renault F1, the team described Alonso's performance as a "brilliant tactical drive", while both Briatore and Symonds attributed the safety car use as a case of good luck. Following the race, freelance Formula One journalist Joe Saward , writing on grandprix.com, stated that "some cynics" were questioning the incident, but dismissed it with

5670-557: The crash at the time, although FIA president Max Mosley stated the sport could take no action based on "speculation". Fernando Alonso ended the 2008 season fifth in the Drivers Championship with 61 points, while Nelson Piquet Jr. finished in twelfth place, with 19 points. Their collective total earned Renault F1 fourth place in the Constructors Championship. Despite rumours that he was set to leave

5775-480: The crash. In return for his evidence, Piquet was granted blanket immunity by the FIA. On 4 September 2009, Renault F1 principals were charged with conspiracy and race rigging, and were called to face the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Paris on 21 September 2009. On 11 September, Renault and Briatore stated they would initiate a criminal case against Piquet for making false allegations and blackmail. However, on 16 September, Renault announced they would not contest

5880-509: The duo, a Renault F1 statement read: "The team accepts, as it did before the World Motor Sport Council, that the allegations made by Nelson Piquet Junior were not false. As a result, these serious allegations contained in our press release were wholly untrue and unfounded, and we withdraw them unequivocally. We would like to apologise unreservedly to Mr Piquet Junior and his father for the distress and embarrassment caused as

5985-562: The first top 10 qualifying session of his career. However, his race ended on lap seven after colliding with Sébastien Bourdais in an attempt to overtake. The Turkish Grand Prix saw him qualify 17th and finish the race 15th. His problems were further compounded with a pair of non-finishes, when he crashed out at Monaco after failing to get to grips with the damp conditions, and spun off while chasing teammate Alonso in Canada , before ultimately retiring on lap 42 with brake failure. Piquet

6090-544: The following January. Piquet drove in the Camping World Truck Series with Red Horse Racing , and made his stock car debut in the ARCA RE/MAX Series at Daytona International Speedway driving the #6 Toyota for ARCA powerhouse Eddie Sharp Racing . In his first truck race, Piquet finished 6th, the first Brazilian driver to finish in the top ten in the series' history. Piquet then announced that he would compete in three races for Billy Ballew Motorsports driving

6195-403: The hearing. On 10 September, Piquet Jr. made the second of two statements to the FIA. On the same day, a transcript of Piquet's first statement to the FIA made at their headquarters in Paris on 30 July was published by F1SA.com (F1 Supporters Association). In response to questions over its authenticity, FIA president Max Mosley stated "I haven't seen anything which I believe to be a forgery." In

6300-458: The heat of the moment" while the Renault F1 team collaborated with the authorities, adding that "I am confident when the facts are established, we can take a very clear decision". Former Jordan Grand Prix F1 team principal Eddie Jordan believed that the departure of Briatore and Symonds from Renault on 16 September was an effective admission of guilt. Former three-time Formula One World Champion and former team owner Sir Jackie Stewart said of

6405-403: The history of motorsport. A major contribution to the punishment of Briatore and Symonds was the testimony of an unnamed "Witness X", a Renault F1 employee who was also present at the pre-race meeting but rejected the idea. After Renault F1 were formally charged, the alleged offence was thought to be unprecedented within Formula One. The scandal followed two recent Formula One cheating scandals:

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6510-564: The inaugural Formula E season with China Racing , eventually becoming Formula E's inaugural champion by a single point over Sébastien Buemi . He would continue to compete full time in Formula E until he left midway through the 2018–19 season . As of 2024 Piquet Jr. competes full time in the Stock Car Pro Series for Cavaleiro Sports . Despite the scandal, Alonso's career is said to have been untarnished by it, despite being

6615-417: The legal action had been ended. Both men agreed not to work in Formula One until 2013, nor any other FIA-sanctioned championship until the end of 2011. On 7 December 2010 it was announced that Piquet Jr. and his father had won a libel case against Renault F1 at the High Court based on the allegations described above. Renault F1 apologised to the Piquets and paid them substantial damages. Admitting they libelled

6720-456: The main person who benefited from the crash. Following the accident he raced with Ferrari (2010-2014) and McLaren (2015-2018), then out of Formula One for two seasons before returning to Formula One to race for Alpine from 2021 to 2022, and then for Aston Martin from 2023 on onward. In 2014, Massa claimed that Alonso knew about the planned crash, despite being cleared by the FIA from such knowledge. From 2011 to 2013, Symonds returned to F1 as

6825-504: The mercy of Mr Briatore. His true character, which had previously only been known to those he had treated like this in the past, is now known. Mr Briatore was my manager as well as the team boss, he had my future in his hands but he cared nothing for it. By the time of the Singapore GP he had isolated me and driven me to the lowest point I had ever reached in my life. Now that I am out of that situation I cannot believe that I agreed to

6930-539: The most significant in motor sport history, and ultimately saw a permanent end to Piquet Jr's career in Formula 1. Piquet also finished runner-up in the 2006 GP2 Series , fourth in the 2014 Global RallyCross Championship , and seventh in the 2012 NASCAR Truck Series . Piquet Jr., born in Heidelberg , West Germany , is the son of three-time Formula One world champion Nelson Piquet , one of Brazil's most successful F1 drivers. Piquet's parents separated soon after he

7035-700: The opening lap, before ultimately retiring on lap 31. This was exactly the same result as his father achieved in his first race at the 1978 German Grand Prix . At the Malaysian Grand Prix he started from 13th on the grid and finished 11th. He started the Bahrain Grand Prix from 14th but retired with a gearbox problem after his second pit stop. Piquet qualified in 10th for the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, taking part in

7140-420: The opinion that "one likes to believe that no team would ever be so desperate as to have a driver throw his car at a wall". According to the Brazilian television station Rede Globo , Brazilian driver Felipe Massa , who finished the Singapore race in 13th having been leading at the time of Piquet Jr.'s crash, and eventually lost the 2008 World Championship to Lewis Hamilton by one point, questioned Briatore about

7245-470: The other drivers, marshals and spectators. Supporting Barnes, The Times' motor racing correspondent Edward Gorman cited the alleged top level pre-conceived elements of conspiracy that sought to sacrifice one team member to benefit another to put the incident on a par with controversies such as Ben Johnson , horse doping and illegal keels used in the America's Cup . Gorman then postulated that this incident

7350-403: The pit lane was closed and they were penalised for the infraction. Most of the leading cars ended up behind Alonso and also behind some slower drivers who proved difficult to pass on the narrow circuit; those ahead of Alonso were lighter on fuel and whilst they were able to pull away, they still needed to make a pit stop. After gaining the lead in the final third of the race, Alonso went on to win

7455-400: The plan, but when it was put to me I felt that I was in no position to refuse." Renault accused Piquet of 'false allegations' and even produced an anonymous "Witness X" who supposedly provided first-hand details of the conspiracy planning, which backed up Pat Symonds' claim that the idea for the crash came from Piquet himself as a way to atone for poor performance and aid in his negotiations for

7560-439: The race after starting 15th on the grid. At the time, Piquet Jr. described his crash as a "simple mistake", excusing himself with how hard the car was to drive with heavy fuel. After being dropped by the Renault team following the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix , Piquet Jr. alleged that he had been asked by the team to deliberately crash to improve the race situation for Alonso, sparking an investigation of Renault F1 for race fixing by

7665-425: The race at the back of the field. Alonso, having pitted just before the safety car was introduced, therefore gained a significant advantage. (Under previous regulations, the pit lane remained open during safety car incidents and the lead cars could quickly pit before their lead was eliminated and re-enter the race with less loss of track position.) In order to avoid running out of fuel, some drivers did need to pit while

7770-403: The race in an attempt to pass the cars in front of him; most drivers that qualify in low positions tend to do the opposite and go for heavier fuel loads to make one fewer pit stop (approximately 30 seconds each in terms of time loss) than the leaders, as they do not want to waste a light car and an extra pit stop for a faster car that is stuck behind slower vehicles. Three laps later, Piquet Jr. hit

7875-414: The race. A first podium of the season and first victory as well and I am extremely happy. I cannot believe it right now, I think I need a couple of days to realise we won a race this year. It seems impossible all through the season to be close to the top guys and here suddenly we have been competitive from Friday. Obviously we started at the back and the first safety car helped me a lot and I was able to win

7980-416: The race. From the start of the race things were complicated and I had a lot of graining and the situation got worse and worse. The team asked me to push, which I tried to do and finally I lost the rear of my car. I hit the wall heavily but I'm OK. I am disappointed with my race but obviously very happy for the team this evening. No action was initially taken over the crash. Piquet Jr. initially characterised

8085-403: The remainder of the season. On 30 August 2009, reports by the Brazilian television station Rede Globo stated that Piquet Jr. had been ordered to crash during the Singapore race. Formula One's governing body, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), immediately announced it was investigating "alleged incidents at a previous F1 event". It was widely reported that the race in question

8190-494: The rules, break the rules, sabotage opponents", "[t]his is just the FIA going on a crusade". He also speculated that the FIA would be lenient on Renault F1 and not expel them, due to the sport's current "shaky" condition after recent team departures. Chief Sportswriter Simon Barnes of The Times , sparked debate over the incident when he labelled it "the worst single piece of cheating in the history of sport" primarily because of its "potentially lethal consequences" to Piquet Jr.,

8295-419: The scheme. In announcing the sanctions, the council stated that Renault F1's actions were serious enough to merit being thrown out of Formula One altogether. However, it opted to impose a suspended sentence because Renault F1 took swift action in forcing Briatore and Symonds to resign. The Daily Mirror described the de facto lifetime ban on Briatore as the harshest sanction ever imposed on an individual in

8400-613: The season in fourth place in the championship standings. In August 2014, Piquet tested at Donington Park with Formula E team China Racing , and was hired by the team on August 21. In the first five races of the 2014–15 season , Piquet achieved podium finishes in Punta del Este , and Buenos Aires . Piquet achieved his first Formula E victory in Long Beach , and his second in Moscow which, coupled with his consistent results across

8505-541: The season, meant Piquet won the inaugural Formula E Championship by a solitary point from Sébastien Buemi . In 2017, Piquet joined the Panasonic Jaguar Racing after 2 frustrating seasons with NextEV . Piquet was outmatched by his teammate Mitch Evans every ePrix in 2018-19 season , he only scored 1 point in that season. He left the Jaguar team after Sanya ePrix. He was replaced by Alex Lynn , for

8610-551: The season. On September 29, 2012, Piquet won his second career Camping World Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In 2013, Piquet moved to full-time competition in the Nationwide Series, driving the No. 30 for Turner Scott Motorsports in a bid for Rookie of the Year . He also drove in selected Truck Series races for the team, and in the Truck Series finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway for NTS Motorsports . Late in

8715-399: The sport after more than a decade following Crashgate. Briatore returned to Team Enstone in 2024 as a special advisor. In 2023, in an interview for The Mirror , Bernie Ecclestone said both he, and then-FIA President Max Mosley were made aware of what happened during the 2008 season. "Piquet Jr had told his father Nelson that he had been asked by the team to deliberately drive into the wall at

8820-431: The sport. The 2008 Singapore Grand Prix was the fifteenth race of the 2008 Formula One season , and took place on 28 September 2008. The race was Formula One's first night race. On the race weekend, despite Alonso being close to the top in practice, Renault had a poor qualifying session and started well down the grid, with Fernando Alonso starting in fifteenth place, and Nelson Piquet Jr. alongside him in 16th. Alonso

8925-399: The system ever since". Brundle was also highly critical that Piquet Jr. escaped sanction from the FIA despite admitting to race-fixing, while the others involved were heavily punished. Other leading Formula One figures have echoed Brundle's sentiments. Toyota Racing principal John Howett was quoted as saying, "I think on his performance...disregarding the issue, I probably would not give him

9030-401: The team into allowing Mr Piquet Jr to drive for the remainder of the 2009 season". In response to the legal action, Piquet Jr. stated "Because I am telling the truth I have nothing to fear, whether from the Renault team or Mr Briatore – and while I am well aware of the power and influence of those being investigated, and the vast resources at their disposal, I will not be bullied again into making

9135-442: The team, Renault re-signed Piquet Jr. on a one-year contract for the 2009 season , once again alongside Alonso. By the tenth race of the 2009 season , Piquet Jr. had failed to score any points whereas Alonso had managed 13. On 3 August 2009, Piquet Jr. confirmed that he had been dropped by Renault. The departure was acrimonious, with Piquet Jr. criticising both the team and Briatore. He was replaced by test driver Romain Grosjean for

9240-454: The team, while Briatore himself stated of his departure that "I was just trying to save the team. It's my duty. That's the reason I've finished." The extraordinary meeting of the WMSC took place on 21 September 2009 in Paris. After a ninety-minute hearing, the council imposed a disqualification on Renault F1, suspended for two years. This meant that if a similar incident occurred before 2011, Renault F1 would be banned from Formula One. Briatore

9345-495: The team. On 21 September, it was announced that the Renault F1 team had been handed a disqualification from Formula One. The disqualification was suspended for two years pending any further comparable rule infringements. Briatore was banned from all Formula One events and FIA-sanctioned events indefinitely, whilst Symonds received a five-year ban. Their bans were subsequently overturned by a French court, although they both agreed not to work in Formula One or FIA-sanctioned events for

9450-472: The transcript, Piquet Jr. states that he was asked by Briatore and Symonds to crash his car at a specific corner. Alonso denied knowing of any plan to ask Piquet Jr. to crash, stating "I cannot imagine these things, these situations. It's something that never entered my mind." Piquet Jr. questioned whether Alonso knew that a crash was planned, citing that in his place, he would have questioned Renault's "senseless" Alonso race strategy of starting with

9555-541: Was a finalist for Most Popular Driver and runner-up to Joey Coulter for Rookie of the Year. Piquet signed with Turner Motorsports for 2012 after KHI folded. That year he drove the No. 30 Chevrolet for the full season in the Camping World Truck Series, and drove part-time in the Nationwide Series . Piquet scored his first win in a NASCAR-sanctioned series in March at Bristol Motor Speedway , winning his first-ever K&N Pro Series East start. On June 23, 2012, Piquet scored his first win in NASCAR competition, winning

9660-598: Was banned indefinitely from any FIA-sanctioned event, while Symonds received a five-year ban. Furthermore, Briatore was indefinitely banned from managing drivers when the FIA stated that superlicences would not be issued or renewed to any driver associated with him in the future. Alonso was cleared of wrongdoing; the FIA found no evidence that he or his mechanics knew anything about the scheme. The WMSC came down hard on Briatore because he denied his involvement despite overwhelming evidence. Symonds, in contrast, had confessed, expressing his "eternal regret and shame" for his role in

9765-581: Was born, and he lived in Monaco with his Dutch mother, Sylvia Tamsma, until he was eight years old. He then moved to live in Brazil with his father. "They kind of swapped me. My mother wanted me to get to know my father, she wanted me to know Brazil and the language, and she realized life in Brazil would be better for a child." Piquet has two sisters, Kelly and Julia, and four half-brothers, Geraldo, Laszlo, Pedro , and Marco. He lived in Brasília and attended

9870-478: Was chairman and part owner of the English football club Queens Park Rangers F.C. (QPR), which he purchased jointly with Formula One president Bernie Ecclestone , being joined later by funds from Indian industrialist Lakshmi Mittal . Spanish racing driver Fernando Alonso had been involved in Formula One since 2001, and drove for the team from 2002 to 2006 . After becoming World Champion in 2005 and 2006 and

9975-420: Was completely unnecessary. It's a pity that it's happened", although Ecclestone denied that the scandal would 'finish' the sport, citing the sport's recovery from the death of Ayrton Senna and the ( first ) retirement of seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher . In response to the scandal Renault F1's main sponsors ING and Mutua Madrileña ended their sponsorship agreements with Renault F1 early, within

10080-404: Was eliminated during qualifying because of mechanical failure. During the warm-up lap, Piquet Jr. spun at the exact corner where he would later crash out, but was in this instance able to continue. After the race started, Alonso was the first driver to make a routine pit stop for fuel and tyres on lap 12, rejoining the race at the back of the field. He had put in a light fuel load at the start of

10185-528: Was fine." Due to this, it is his belief that Felipe Massa should have been the F1 Drivers' World Champion in 2008 and not Lewis Hamilton. Following Ecclestone's comments, Massa was reported to have begun investigating whether he could take legal action to dispute the outcome of the 2008 World Championship. Lewis Hamilton led the Championship by one point going into the Singapore race, and emerged with

10290-549: Was leaked, Renault F1 stated that it intended to take legal action against Piquet Jr. and his father in both French and British courts, stating that "...today the ING Renault F1 Team and its managing director Flavio Briatore personally wish to state they have commenced criminal proceedings against Nelson Piquet Jr and Nelson Piquet Sr in France concerning the making of false allegations and a related attempt to blackmail

10395-464: Was not implicated in the scandal. This was followed hours later by the withdrawal of title sponsor ING Group with immediate effect, who had been previously due to end their sponsorship of the team at the end of 2009. On 19 October 2009, Flavio Briatore announced his intentions to sue the FIA for his lifetime ban, claiming that "the FIA [had] been used as a tool of vengeance on behalf of one man" and that there were several miscarriages of justice, including

10500-602: Was reported by Spanish website Motor21.com that Piquet had signed a three-year contract with Campos alongside Senna. However, this was later revealed by Motor21.com to have been a hoax in celebration of the Spanish Día de los Santos Innocentes festival. Piquet hinted that he had had talks with Force India . However, they opted to retain both Adrian Sutil and Vitantonio Liuzzi , so Piquet decided to move to NASCAR for 2010. Several months later, Piquet said that he had had talks with more than one F1 team to race again after

10605-430: Was signed as test driver for Renault Formula One team for the 2007 season, and was promoted to the race team for 2008 , before being dropped midway through the 2009 season. After losing his drive, it emerged that he had, under instruction from senior members of the team, crashed deliberately at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix to help his teammate, Fernando Alonso , win the race. The resulting scandal became one of

10710-509: Was the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. On 4 September, following the investigation by the FIA, Renault F1 were formally accused of interfering with the outcome of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, and conspiring with Piquet Jr. In a statement, the FIA stated that the charges against Renault F1 included "a breach of Article 151c of the International Sporting Code, that the team conspired with its driver, Nelson Piquet Jr, to cause

10815-532: Was thought to be unlikely however, with the Singaporean authorities believed to be unwilling to attract the negative publicity charges it would create, and also complicated by the fact that Singapore has an extradition treaty with the United Kingdom (Symonds being a British citizen) but not Italy as Briatore is an Italian citizen. Piquet Jr. was criticized by many in the community and some suggest that

10920-479: Was under increasing pressure from his Renault team over the course of the 2008 season, and there was speculation he would lose his race seat if he did not improve. Renault did nothing to quell the rumours, publicly urging him to improve after the Turkish Grand Prix and suggesting after Monaco that he lacked confidence. Despite the pressure, Piquet scored his first points in F1 with a 7th-place finish at

11025-468: Was worse than those because Briatore and Symonds set in motion "an event of violent destruction, the consequences of which they could neither predict nor control." Matthew Syed countered that while the incident was premeditated, "unspeakably unethical" and dangerous, it was not nearly as reckless as the East German athletics doping scandal and other instances of long-term doping. Syed also argued that

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