Flavio Briatore denies F1 ‘Crashgate’ involvement: ‘I never spoke to Nelson Piquet’
A remarkable claim by Flavio Briatore about 'Crashgate'
Flavio Briatore has denied ordering Nelson Piquet Jr. to crash deliberately in order to help Renault win the 2008 F1 Singapore Grand Prix.
The scandal dubbed as ‘Crashgate’ came to light following Piquet’s sacking in 2009.
Piquet claimed Briatore, who was Renault boss at the time, suggested crashing on purpose to effectively fix the race in their favour.
On Lap 15 of the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix, Piquet crashed his car, triggering a Safety Car.
Teammate Fernando Alonso subsequently won the race from 15th on the grid, giving Renault and Briatore their first win of the season.
A year later, Piquet was sacked mid-season by Renault, with Briatore still in charge.
After an investigation, Briatore and technical director Pat Symonds were banned from the sport.
Briatore was initially handed a lifetime ban, which was later overturned.
Symonds was handed five years and would later make a comeback to F1 with Williams.
In an interview with Italian publication Corriere della Sera, Briatore denied even talking to Piquet when he was in the team.
“No, I’m not interested. I didn’t even speak to him much when he was driving for me,” he said.
“He and I never spoke, and in fact the French court annulled the ban imposed by the FIA and awarded me a symbolic compensation. Funnily enough, the president who banned me — Mosley — is the same one who disqualified Schumacher.
“When I left, I was tired: I had won everything, I had launched new drivers. It was no longer a business that I found exciting — it had become just another job, and that’s when I stop being effective.
“Plus, my son Falco was about to be born, and I wanted to be close to my wife.”
Briatore has recently returned to F1 as Alpine’s executive director.
The 75-year-old is playing a key role in any major decision Alpine makes.
From drivers, such as the signing of Franco Colapinto, or becoming a customer team for 2026.
‘Crashgate’ continues to have a lasting impact, given the effect on Felipe Massa’s 2008 F1 title bid.
The impromptu Safety Car caused by Piquet’s crash arguably cost the Brazilian a likely victory.
With a sharp eye for F1’s controversies and storylines, Connor is the heartbeat of our unbiased reporting.
