Renault breathed relieved yesterday to learn that Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds bear the blame and punishment to manipulate the outcome of the Formula One Grand Prix Singapore 2008.
The French team admitted to the FIA world council that "conspired" and the FIA as it took account of the facts considered an "unprecedented gravity" worthy of a disqualification, however, is in suspended until 2011.
The FIA found that the already dismissed Flavio Briatore, Renault team boss at the time of the facts, and Pat Symonds, engineering, conspired with the driver Nelson Piquet Jr. to deliberately cause an accident, facts accepted by Renault for In view of 90 minutes he made yesterday.
However, no other team member was involved, according to the FIA, not even the Spanish Fernando Alonso, who has benefited from the conspiracy and the crash of his teammate to win the race contested for almost a year.
"We accept fully the decision of the council. We apologize unreservedly to the community of Formula 1 for this unacceptable behavior. We sincerely hope we can soon put this matter behind and focus on the future, "said team president, Bernard King, in a statement.
The board considered the fact of "unprecedented gravity" because Renault "not only compromised the integrity of sport, but endangered the lives of the spectators, judges, other competitors and Nelson Piquet Jr. himself.
But the FIA took into account mitigating factors presented by the Renault, as the acceptance of events, cooperation in research and confirmation that Briatore and Symonds were involved and who left the team.
The team also apologized "for the damage done to the sport" and promised to pay the costs of the investigation and make a "significant contribution" to the draft FIA safety.
"Gravity makes it deserve a permanent disqualification from the tournament. However, taking into account any mitigating and steps taken by Renault to identify errors within the team, the World Council has decided to suspend the disqualification until the end of the year 2011 "was added in the statement of the council.
Briatore and Symonds are worse off. The Italian, who continues to deny the facts, is barred for life being involved in any competition, on any computer and access to any area of the FIA.
