Fernando Alonso last night insisted he was not involved in the race-fix scandal which has rocked Formula One.
The Spaniard’s Renault team face being kicked out of the sport after being charged with ordering their former driver Nelson Piquet to crash in last September’s Singapore Grand Prix.
Brazilian Piquet has claimed the order came from team chief Flavio Briatore and technical director Pat Symonds in a meeting before the race.
But when asked whether he knew of the alleged fix, Alonso, 28, said: “No. For me, it’s difficult to understand this situation and these investigations.
“I’m surprised but it’s time to start thinking about the Italian Grand Prix. I’m not spending any time on this. The Sun
F1’s governing body, the FIA, has called Renault to a hearing of its world motorsport council on 21 September to answer the charge.
If they are found guilty, they face severe sanctions, which could include expulsion from this year’s F1 world championship.
Asked directly whether he knew of any plan to ask Piquet to crash in Singapore, Alonso said: “No.”
F1 is awash with conspiracy theories about the race and the investigation.
Brawn driver Rubens Barrichello said: “I hope we get the truth.
“It’s easier to crash a Formula 1 car than to drive one. With all the power it’s quite easy to spin and crash, but I would be very disappointed if someone did that because someone said so.
“He [Piquet] is much younger than me but as a person he seems a very fair guy. I was shocked at the allegations. There are lots of rumours, which leads you to have all sorts of different ideas. I would be ashamed if it’s true.”
Alonso won in Singapore last year when Piquet crashed two laps after the Spaniard had come in for a routine pit stop. BBC Sport
Alonso said he gave his team chief and former manager Briatore his full support.
He said: “Flavio has been always a nice boss with me. He’s a friend. He has supported my career since the time when I was in Minardi. I think Flavio is one of the good people here and he has all my support.”
It is understood that Alonso was interviewed by the FIA’s investigations team at last month’s Belgian Grand Prix.
Alonso, it is said, accepted the strategy formulated by the team for his early pit-stop because he wished to have an ‘aggressive’ approach to the race. It is believed he had sufficient fuel to have gone for more laps before pitting.
Transcripts of radio communications between Renault team members during the race are reported to have confirmed that Symonds showed no concern at others’ worries about Alonso’s strategy.
Piquet is said to have claimed that he was asked, during the pre-race meeting, to crash deliberately to help Alonso win - a claim that has been vigorously denied by Symonds and Briatore, who have said that the idea came from the Brazilian. AFP
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