Thoughts on Renault 'Crashgate' and the FIA

I wasn’t expecting Renault to get issued with a two year ban for the ’Crashgate’ scandal. I’m not condoning their actions, but I think their penalty is a shame for Formula 1.

If the whole team was aware of the plan then banning the team is justified, but is there any evidence that all team members knew about it? If not, then I think it is unfair to ban all of them for the actions of just a few.
I honestly expected a financial penalty, and perhaps a move further down the pit lane. Formula One in it’s current state needs all the teams it can get, and we have now lost a major manufacturer for two years. Who knows, Renault may decide never to return when the penalty is up.

I agree with Spanish Motorsport Federation chief  Carlos Gracia in that Flavio Briatore’s penalty is excessive.
"Briatore's (sanction) seems excessive to me, as there were no clear evidence to incriminate him and he didn't have the chance to defend himself," Gracia was quoted as saying by AS newspaper

It seems unfair that a plan devised by three men results in Briatore getting a life ban, but Symonds only gets banned for five years, and Piquet, who carried out the plan, walks away with immunity.  Where is the sense there?

The FIA really needed to get this verdict right at a time when F1 is under such scrutiny, but did they hit the mark?
Piquet Junior should never of been offered immunity. He carried out the act, he didn’t have to. He may have lost his drive for not going through with it, but at least he would have left that team with some dignity, and the chance of another drive. He has shot himself in the foot. Who wants a driver who will crash a car purposely?

If Briatore is banned for life, shouldn’t Nelson Piquet Junior and Pat Symonds have a similar penalty?
In losing Briatore, F1 has lost one of it’s long serving  key characters. F1 lacks characters, and without Briatore, there is even more of a gap.

If Renault have got a two year ban for this then why weren’t McLaren banned for spying on Ferrari? McLaren’s saga was played down by the British press and swept under the carpet.
As I have stated in previous posts, if  the FIA wants some respect, it needs some consistency.  Although McLaren didn’t engage in race fixing, it was an equally serious offence and they should have been issued with race bans.

Looking closer into Formula One it is obvious that once again, behind the scenes politics is dictating this ‘sport.’
Briatore has been threatening a break away series for a while, he is an influential character, and perhaps the FIA were keen to have him out the way. It would certainly explain why he took  the brunt of the penalty.

Bernie and the FIA issue whatever penalty they see fit to add value to the ‘show.’ I think Damon Hill’s comments made this week sum up Formula One perfectly,
“Formula 1 has to ask itself, is it just a very expensive form of entertainment or a proper sport?
“There is a whole book on what’s wrong with Formula 1. It’s called Bernie’s Game and the history of this episode is typical.”

Food for thought….