Allegations of Race Fixing Hit F1

Hot on the heels of rugby's Bloodgate scandal, the FIA, motorsport's world governing body, has announced that it is to launch an investigation into allegations of race fixing at last year's inaugural F1 Singapore Grand Prix with Bernie Ecclestone also warning that the FIA would take very firm action against any party found guilty of foul play.

Fernando Alonso won the race, which was the first to be held under floodlights, after his then Renault teammate, Nelson Piquet Jnr, crashed out of the street circuit on lap 14 of 61. The accident, which occurred just 3 laps after Alonso had made an unexpected early pit stop for fuel having qualified 15th on the grid, destroyed the right hand side of his car, scattering debris across the circuit. Piquet's accident resulted in the safety car being deployed. Following the crash, every other team, apart from Renault, had to immediately rethink its pit stop strategy, which led to all cars in front of Alonso pitting whilst under the safety car. The effect of this mass pit stop moved Alonso to the front of the field.

Renault were having a poor 2008 season and this result turned the form book on its head.

The timing of the crash prompted pit lane rumours immediately after the race despite Piquet insisting that he had crashed into the wall because he was trying "too hard".

The FIA have, however, decided to further investigate the incident in the light of reported comments made during Brazilian network Globo TV's broadcast of last Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix.

Piquet was replaced at Renault by rookie Romain Grosjean after the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix and has been vocal in his criticism of both Renault and team principal Flavio Briatore ever since, recently describing Briatore as an "executioner". It is unclear at this stage whether the investigation has been prompted by any comments made by Piquet or not, however, Bernie Ecclestone has indicated that the consequences for both team and driver would be severe if any evidence of foul play is discovered by the FIA.

The FIA investigation, at the very least, is likely to involve a detailed examination of the team's technical data, including telemetry from the cars, as well as recordings of radio communication between the team and its drivers during the race.

The central issue is, of course, whether Piquet's crash, which could have easily caused death or injury to Piquet, his fellow drivers, the spectators race marshalls, was pure coincidence or a dangerous pre-meditated action carried out at Renault's behest. Neither Piquet or Renault have chosen to comment at this stage.

If the FIA believe that Piquet deliberately crashed out of the race under team "orders" in order to benefit his team mate, then a sinister cloud will not only fall over Formula One but Piquet and Renault can expect to be called to appear before the World Motor Sport Council ("WMSC") with a fine, race ban and/or exclusion from the World Championship likely to follow as punishment should they be found guilty of any wrongdoing.

Ferrari hit the headlines after the Australian Grand Prix in 2002, when Rubens Barrichello eased up on the home straight to allow Michael Schumacher to take the chequered flag. Whilst Ferrari escaped without so much as a reprimand on that occasion the FIA subsequently banned team orders from F1.

The Renault incident that is currently under investigation is potentially much more serious as if Renault is found guilty of cheating then that will mean that it has been found to have instructed one of its drivers to commit an act that could not only have put his own life at risk but could have also caused death or injury to the other drivers, spectators or marshalls at the Singapore Grand Prix.

It is believed likely that British-based Renault would quit F1 if it is found guilty of interfering with the result of the Singapore Grand Prix. Rumours have already been circulating that the team will be the next high profile manufacturer departure from F1 in the wake of the Honda and BMW pull outs.

This is the second time that F1 has hit the headlines this season following allegations of cheating. In April the WMSC imposed a three race suspended ban on the McLaren Mercedes Team for breaching the International Sporting Code after Lewis Hamilton and Dave Ryan, a senior member of the McLaren Mercedes Team, were found to have mislead the stewards at the Australian Grand Prix in March.

It remains to be seen, however, whether the Singapore incident is another example of the "win at all costs" mentality in sport pushing those involved to cheat in the quest of glory, or simply sour grapes on the part of a driver who had underperformed during his time at Reanault and whose F1 career, as a consequence, may now be over.