Where are the F1 'Crashgate' protagonists after Briatore return?

Piquet crashes in Singapore — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Features

Where are the F1 'Crashgate' protagonists after Briatore return?

It was an unexpected return for the former F1 team boss

Originally written by Rhys Thomas. This version is a translation.

Wednesday 26 June 2024 00:00

‘Crashgate’ stands tall in F1 lore as one of its most serious scandals, with the ramifications continuing to cast a shadow over the sport to this day.

When Renault’s Nelson Piquet Jr. brought out the safety car in the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, the dominoes appeared to fall perfectly for team-mate Fernando Alonso to win the race.

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Except, as it later emerged, those at the top of the French team, including Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds, had lined those dominoes up perfectly, and even instructed Piquet to crash out, knocking the first tile over.

Felipe Massa, who lost the lead of the race after the crash and subsequently missed out on the title by a point, has since sued the FIA and F1 over the events of the 2008 season.

Flavio Briatore was at the centre of the 'Crashgate' scandal

What happened in ‘Crashgate’?

First, though, a brief recap of the events which made Singapore 2008 one of F1’s most notorious races.

Alonso had started in P15, and was the first driver into the pits, and soon after he re-emerged onto the track, his team-mate smashed into the wall at turn 17, causing a safety car and pit lane closure.

Alonso found himself boosted into the top five, and then into the lead after pit stops and penalties were served by those out front.

The Spaniard took the team’s first win of the season, but already eyebrows were raised given the strange nature of Piquet’s crash, coupled with its timely benefit to Alonso.

After Renault fired Piquet following his poor pace the next season, he testified to the FIA how Reanult bosses had instructed him to crash to give Alonso the chance to win.

Having initially strongly denied the accusations, it became apparent Piquet was telling the truth, and certain individuals found their reputations and futures in tatters.

Nelson Piquet Jr.

Piquet, son of triple world champion Nelson, was in his rookie season in 2008 when he became embroiled in the sport’s latest huge controversy.

He initially insisted his crash was a simple mistake, but after leaving Renault, the Brazilian went to the FIA armed with the serious accusations he had been pressured to crash out, a move which endangered the driver and marshals.

Following the scandal, Piquet was not punished thanks to his cooperation and held talks with several F1 teams, but ultimately never returned to the sport.

He went on to race in an array of NASCAR series before finding motorsport redemption by winning the inaugural Formula E championship in 2015.

The 38-year-old continued in FE until 2019, and then returned to Brazil where he continues to race in the Stock Car Pro Series.

Nelson Piquet Jr. continues to race in his home country, Brazil

Flavio Briatore

Piquet’s team principal and manager at Renault, Briatore, resigned from the team following his involvement in the race fixing.

The FIA slapped him with a lifetime ban from positions within F1 teams, but this was later overturned and the Italian was given €15,000 in compensation by a French court.

With this, Briatore told media in his home country he was sure he would not return to the sport, something he stuck to until his surprise return to Alpine this year.

He is acting as an executive supervisor for the French team where he led title wins with Michael Schumacher (as Benetton) and Alonso.

Briatore remained close with Alonso during his time away from F1, when amongst other ventures he founded a political party, Movimento del Fare.

Pat Symonds

Symonds was Chief Engineer at Renault in 2008, and also conspired to see Piquet put his car in the wall in Singapore.

He admitted wrongdoing and his “eternal regret and shame” as he was suspended from F1 for five years; again, this was overturned and he received €5,000 in compensation.

He was permitted to return to the sport as a consultant, which he did for Virgin F1, and then fully re-integrated into the sport in 2013 as Williams’ Chief Technical Officer.

From 2017, Symonds served in the same role for Formula 1, before leaving that role in May 2024 to join Andretti as Executive Engineering Consultant as the team expanded their operations in hope of joining the sport in the near future.

Pat Symonds is now involved with Andretti's bid to join F1

Fernando Alonso

Alonso, of course, is still doing battle on track in F1 in his forties. A stellar 2023 campaign with Aston Martin saw him come agonisingly close to his first win since 2013.

The FIA did not find any evidence of ‘Crashgate’ wrongdoing on the Spaniard’s part, though Massa remains unconvinced that Alonso was not in the know.

The pair became Ferrari team-mates in 2010 when Alonso left Renault for the Italian team, where he won 11 races and narrowly missed out on a further two championships.

A disappointing spell at McLaren during their ill-fated Honda partnership saw Alonso choose to retire in 2018, and he won back-to-back Le Mans 24 Hours events before returning to F1 with Alpine in 2021.

After switching to Aston Martin for 2023, Alonso signed a new contract to take him into the 2026 regulation changes.

Fernando Alonso is still going strong in F1

Max Mosley and Bernie Ecclestone

Then-FIA President Max Mosley and long-time former chief executive of the Formula One Group Bernie Ecclestone’s knowledge of the Crashgate saga was revealed last year when Ecclestone told F1 Insider that both knew of the scandal “during the 2008 season.”

Ecclestone claimed he wanted to protect the sport, but his comments suggest a large-scale cover up at the top of F1 before Piquet came to the FIA with the allegations. Indeed, the admission was enough to prompt Massa to take legal action.

Ecclestone’s comments came in 2023. He is now 93 years old, and was only removed from his position at F1 in 2017, when Liberty Media took over and made Ecclestone chairman emeritus, a title the US group was forced to explain had expired in 2020 following Ecclestone’s comments on racism.

Mosley, meanwhile, died in 2021 aged 81. He stood down from the FIA in 2009 following a turbulent period, and was replaced by Jean Todt.

Bernie Ecclestone's long tenure in F1 finally ended in 2020

Renault

Piquet’s team were charged by the FIA with interfering with the outcome. The French outfit initially planned to take legal action against their driver and his father, but later dropped this action when they announced Briatore and Symonds were to depart.

Ultimately, Renault were given a disqualification order, suspended for two years, meaning any similar incident in that time frame would have the team banned.

Renault continued to run their works team at Enstone until 2011, when they sold the shares and the outfit became Lotus.

Renault returned as a works team from 2016-2020

Renault re-acquired the team in 2016, again running as Renault F1 until 2020, when the team became Alpine, named after the sports car manufacturer and subsidiary brand of Renault.

Renault continue to provide the engines to the Enstone team, but that relationship is under threat ahead of the 2026 regulations, which will see new engines introduced.

Fernando Alonso Flavio Briatore Felipe Massa Pat Symonds