Much better, thank you.

Piquet is either very brave and very stupid if he is making this up and taking it all the way, or he is telling the truth. I dont want to believe it but could this really of happened it is not that unthinkable. Did they just go too far? I dont thinkt they should be removed from F1 but something should be done all the same

IF this statement is to be believed, it shows a terrible weakness in Piquets character. He states that he was reminded several times by radio, when to crash. If that is so, then the radio transcripts would prove it. He says that he THOUGHT it might get him a renewal of contract. Is that the reason he crashed??? I hope that he is never seen again in F1 or in any other form of motor sport.

I understood (even when I don't speak English as a Native language) from the statement that Piquet didn't state that crash time was reminded by team radio at all! He stated that he asked several times himself from the team what lap he was on that he does not usually do. All alleged discussion with Mr Briatore and Mr Symonds happened before the race.

doesn't it say piquet was asking the team several times during the race? rather than the team telling him.

"He states that he was reminded several times by radio, when to crash" No he doesn't. He asks several times what lap it is - no mention of being reminded "when to crash" Try reading what the transcript says, rather than what you want it to say...

we all here in brazil think like that... what a weak person... he and his father are a shame to all of us... only making us feel stupid... tnk god we have people like Rubens and Felipe...

It seems very serious. If all is fact as he say, Piquets and team Renault should be swept away!!! DIRTY!

I'm spanish, and alonso's fan. Stated that, I'm ashamed this happend (with or without Alonso's knowledge). It's plain disgusting!! Picket and Renault out of F1 right now!!! and if alonso knew, with a lot of pain in my hurt, him too!!!

As a brazilian, I'm completly ashamed for that. I never liked Nelson Piquet Jr, but now, I say "Thanks God" because never more we'll have Nelson Piquet Jr in F1. I'm proud of other drivers as Rubens Barrichello and Felipe Massa (all Brazil are with you Felipe, good luck). They know as to represent our country.

I´m Mexican, and Alonso´s Fan to. But what I read here is just a disgruntle employee, if Renault is guilty the need to pay, but Piquet Jr. is a declared cheating for his own convenience, that shull not be in the sport, what it herts more is his father, I WAS a real fan of him, but not after this.

Piquet was victim of the accident!!! Can you see it?

Victim? If I toll you to rob a Bank and you do it you are just a victim?

No, but if Piquet is telling the truth in his statement, he wasn't just *told* to crash - he was effectively blackmailed into it. Yes he is guilty of cheating, but he is also the victim of Briatore & Symonds, and the sad thing is that he had far more to lose (the rest of his career ahead of him), and will likely suffer more for it - I'm sure Briatore regrets being found out if this is proven, but I doubt any punishment will harm them as much as Piquet. IF this is true, then Piquet's been incredibly stupid to take part in this shameful business, but I wish him all the best for eventually owning up to it and making partial amends by exposing the scum... doubt he'll have much of a motorsport career either way - but at least he has the option of taking the consequences like a man and moving on with his life.

Folks we can not forget that Senna hit Prost in Japan and became 3x championship. Schummy won his first tittle hitting Hill. Don't forget Barrichello and Schummy in Indianapolis.

I've just checked F1 archives(feel free to do so too): Alonso qualified 15th, with no time set in Q2. So they were free to fill up Alonso's tanks whenever they wanted. Question: Did Alonso find it strange to have to pit early, especially when he'd be fuelled up for a 2-stopper? :?: For me, the pit strategy suggests that at least Renault was aware of the crash, otherwise you don't make an extremely short dash at the start of the race, especially when you start in the middle of the pack!

What you say is true, but only when someone want's to have a "standard" strategy. But when you know that your car is not competitive and that doing what everybody does you will not score any points then you must try something different, just is case something happens. That has been done by many teams several times... P.S. I'm not saying that Alonso didn't knew. Just that there were nothing strange in his strategy. He did that several times last year (his car wasn't good enough) but nobody said anything about the other races hi didn't win.

Yes, 1985, that's the year of Piquet's birth. He was then only 23 years old when this happened. Yes, he is a cheater because he accepted Briatore's suggestion. But, guys, 23 years old, how many of you can say that at this age they were mature enough to resist this kind of pressure? Piquet was a kid leaving a dream that very few can achieve. He was scared by the fact he could lose his seat, and moreover he was deadly pressured by two senior guys, two fellows with a long history in this business. So, although I think Piquet should be punished for accepting the deal, I would not blame him. I think he is as much a victim as a guilty.

Besides the fact they shoudn't have done it if it turns out to be true. Piquet should be a man and keep his mouth shut. He agreed on it took part in the cheating and should have told it after the race tot the FIA or should have kept it a secret.

So, we've had to endure years of Alonso fans calling Lewis Hamilton a cheat. Now the shoe is on the other foot & this new shoe is lead and stinks of ****!

Who said anything about Alonso being a cheat? He's just a driver who is doing his job. He may or may not be aware of it. Who cares? If your Mom is a prostitute or your Dad a thief, does that make you guilty if you don't turn them in?

The issue is quite complicated. I enjoy f1 but I have never been a fan of Nelson Piquet Jr as a driver, however, this should have no bearing on this situation. Piquet, on the face of things, faced a binary decision in that office: yes or no. There was no maybe, no let me think about it, no let me phone a friend. He chose yes; yes, I'll crash. I'm sorry but unless I'm really stupid, I cannot possibly see how he had a choice of actually saying no. The instruction was given in private, between parties of very unequal power and credibility. Lets assume that Piquet had said no. What then? Who in God's name would have believed him? On what basis would they have believed him? It would have been his word against Briatore's. Briatore would have ensured that Piquet never raced a car again (if you think otherwise, you've got your head in the clouds). Had Piquet said no, he would have been surely dumped by the next round. Had he come out about the situtation, exclaiming to the world he was dumped because he refused to crash, nobody would have believed him; he was simply a non-performing driver whose time ran out, very convenient. Those with high morals, no idea about professional sport, and can't distinguish the hypothetical from reality maintain Piquet should have said no. However, realistically this was never an option. Symmonds knew it. Briatore knew it. That's why they asked! They knew there was no way Piquet could refuse and walk away. The issue with Alonso is a different matter. From the sound of the events he played no role in the crash. However, f1 drivers aren't dumb. They're smart people. Alonso, like the journalists after the race, would have noticed that things were out of the ordinary. If his team had cheated, which to people in the know was noticeable at the time, surely one would argue he had an obligation to question those around him? How can you say Piquet is guilty for crashing but his team mate is innocent, despite noticing things out of the ordinary and remaining silent? At the end of the day Briatore and Symmonds instructed a driver to crash. Had that driver said no, no one would have ever known about the instruction; there would never have been any evidence, and no action would be taken against Briatore and Symmonds. However, Piquet said yes and crashed his car. There was now evidence of the instruction (the radio communication, the car telemetry), and action could now be taken against the culprits. Piquet was placed in this situation and was stuffed either way; 'no' and his career over, 'yes' and he's a cheat. The only way Symmonds and Briatore were ever going to get caught is if Piquet said yes. Those of you who say Piquet should have said no, are effectively suggesting that the culprits, Briatore and Symmonds, should remain unpunished. That people who would even consider asking a driver to crash should have nothing done to them. Honestly, just be objective about it. Piquet may have not been a great f1 driver but he doesn't deserve to be treated like this.

You are absolutely correct!!! I was thinking the same thing. The only other way Piquet Jr. could have gotten Briatore and Symonds caught would have been by saying 'let me think about it' and then returning with a tape recorder in his pocket. And it still would not have looked nearly as bad for Briatore and Symonds. The fact that the crash took place makes it much worse for them.

It's a shame! Renault and Piquet Jr should never race again! I am Brazilian and this is too sad for me. I believe what he told was true, that he was under stress, but it is not an excuse. If he was not sure about renewing his contract, this "proposal" should make him look for another team. No one knows if he would find one at that time, but I'm pretty sure he won't anymore.

IMHO I don't think we can blame Piquet Jr. Surely in this sad situation there are many actors, himself included, but in this case he has the most extenuating circumstances. First of all he feels the weight of the name he has. When you're a big champions' son, you'll have to face this fact everyday, and if you make the heavy choice to make your father's same activity, you'll have to face big stress in this. Furthermore, he's quite young to face all this stress. He was in a team including a world champion, and maybe he didn't accept to be his back. The serious responsability in this event is the behaviour of Directors of Renault F1, who intentionally "suggested" him to cause an accident in order to favour Alonso. If you asked this to a driver of yours a time, it's not impossible to think that you could make something similar in other cases. If the facts described by Piquet would be confirmed by investigations, Renault should be striked off the F1 Championship, because its directors reneged the principles of the F1 Championship and of Sport in general. We shouldn't forget also that Renault had a little sentence for the tyre lost by Alonso some GPs ago, but with conditional, and now there are the essential requirements to proceed in strict way. Why McLaren yes and Renault no? Bye Germano

Character problem. empty comment

Nelson was inspired by the brazilian polititians Bratori by the Mafia and Renault took advatage of both

He is not a racer , he is a child who lose his toy and don't want to play anymore

Now, what about Alonso? He says he didn't know anything about this strategy? But, wouldn't he be suspicious if the team tells him that he has fuel for only 12 laps? The race had 61 laps!

Guys read his statement. He asked the team to confirm the lap that he was on, not that this was the lap he should crash. The statement indicates that most of the team did not know what was going to happen! Of course there are two sides to every story, but it does make you wonder. If Renault are found guilty, there should only be one option...throw them out of F1 for good!!

Lets make a comparison of F1 as a motorsport with other sports, like Football. A stricker is cheating if he dives to get a penalty. A footballer cheats if he exagerates to get a red card for his opponent after a foul. Maradona used his hand to score a crucial goal in a worldcup! In formula one, Ayrton Senna used his car to get rid of Prost to championship. So this event in formula one is like a handball in football, it was wrong, it is not within the spirit of the competition. The managers of Renault are resposible for this event. Piquet Jr should be punished but in lesser degree.