[sperry]

F1 is a fucking circus.

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headline...16131922.shtml

Ahead of Monday's Extraordinary meeting of the World Motor Sport Council in which Renault faces charges of conspiring with Nelson Piquet to cause a deliberate crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, the team announced today that both Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds have left the team.

"The ING Renault F1 Team will not dispute the recent allegations made by the FIA concerning the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix," a statement reads.

"It also wishes to state that its managing director, Flavio Briatore and its executive director of engineering, Pat Symonds, have left the team. Before attending the hearing before the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Paris on 21 September 2009, the team will not make any further comment."

Should the team be found guilty of the allegations, the range of sanctions available to the FIA range from a fine, to exclusion from the world championship.

Last Friday, September 11, the team announced that they and Briatore had commenced legal proceedings against Piquet and his father over 'false allegations' and 'attempted blackmail'. The team has not clarified its current stance with regard to this matter.

So basically, Flav told Piquet to crash to give Alonso the win last year. Now Renault has canned Flav and Symonds to appease the FIA, and has all but admitted their unsporting actions. Renault better get excluded from the championship. That bullshit move cost Massa a championship last season... it's a way bigger deal than that nonsense w/ McLaren getting Ferrari's pre-season tech info that resulted in McLaren's exclusion.