Max Mosley, the president of world motorsport’s governing body, the International Automobile Federation (FIA), has rejected suggestions that Renault had been let off too lightly following one of the most widely condemned acts of cheating in the history of sport.
Mosley instead argued that “the blame had been placed where it should be placed” after Renault were handed a suspended disqualification from Formula One, while their former team principal, Flavio Briatore, was hit with a lifetime ban from the sport.
The French team had pleaded guilty to conspiring with their driver, Nelson Piquet Jnr, to cause a crash in last year’s Singapore Grand Prix, an offence described as of “unparalleled severity” in a statement from the governing body.
However, despite their laws allowing for “collective responsibility” in such circumstances, the 26 members of the World Motor Sport Council, including Mosley and Formula One commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone, chose to let the team off with a ban, suspended for two years and enforceable only if Renault commit a comparable offence in the interim.
Renault were also ordered to pay the costs of the FIA’s investigation and have agreed to make an undisclosed contribution to the ruling body’s road safety programme. Telegraph.co.uk
“The penalty that we’ve imposed is the harshest one we can impose, which is disqualification, complete exclusion from the sport,” he said.
“However, because Renault have demonstrated that they had absolutely no moral responsibility for what took place – even the Renault F1 team didn’t have, still less does the company have any responsibility at all – it would be wrong in the circumstances to impose an immediate penalty.”
Mosley was confident there would not be any long-term repercussions for the sport now that the FIA had taken firm action.
“I don’t think it means anything,” he said.
“We have problems from time to time, and as long as we solve them and deal with them properly, that’s fine.
“I think we’ve demonstrated that we’ve dealt with it.”
Asked for his thoughts on Briatore’s enforced exile from F1, Mosley said: “He’s been in motorsport for more than 20 years at the top level.
“It’s sad to see a career end like that, but what else could we do?” ITV
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