Piquet Peaks Off The Track

So, this weekend saw F1 travel to Singapore. If the scenes from last year are to go by then everyone will have watched a very dramatic, maybe even unpredictable turn of events. Yet, it appears that last year’s race was not so unbelievable, merely a mastermind at work, concocting an unheard of race strategy in the heat of the battle. It is believed that only three men were involved in the decision by Renault to deliberately crash the car driven by Nelson Piquet Jr. presenting teammate Fernando Alonso with opportunity to win the grand prix, which he took gratefully.
Both Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds find themselves facing lengthy bans from the sport, with Briatore taking the brunt with a lifetime ban. F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has questioned the verdict, suggesting that it is too severe. Yet, surely he does not believe that the sport, which has been continually updating its proceedings over the last couple of seasons in a vain attempt to attract larger audiences, really needs people who try and succeed in fixing races?
Renault, the team at the heart of the scandal, has tried to distance itself from the allegation, pinning all the blame solely on Briatore, Symonds and Piquet. However, the team has still received a two year suspension from the sport. Sponsors of the team are also cancelling contracts with immediate effect, with Mutua Madrilena and IMG both having their names removed from the vehicles for the remaining races of this season.
However, one player in this debacle seems to be getting away scot-free. Piquet was the man in control of the vehicle when he made a conscience decision to drive his F1 car into the side of the track wall, causing mass debris across the track, requiring a safety car to be deployed. Piquet has benefitted from being a socius criminis. In return for his evidence, which will condemn Briatore and Symonds into F1 obscurity, he has been granted immunity from any charge brought against him. Some may say that Piquet deserves this, as he has brought to light one of the largest scandals in F1 history. I am not one of those people.
If Piquet would have brought this act of insanity to the attention of the FIA before he had been sacked for his abysmal lack of driving ability, people may be more sympathetic to his cause. But the fact is he did not. He only had a “change of heart” after getting the boot. It is simply a matter of revenge, a matter not of remorse or bravery at standing up to his team members, a matter of cowardice.
One can only hope that Piquet, although not receiving a ban of any sort from the sport, will not be seen in years to come in the colours of another team. Not only would teams surely have to be careful about how they treat a man who simply could not be trusted, but they would also be gambling on his driving capabilities.