Formula One news
Lauda: 'Crashgate' worst scandal in F1 history
17 September 2009Former World Champion Niki Lauda believes that the race-fixing disgrace involving the Renault team in last year's Singapore Grand Prix is the worst such case in the sixty-year history of Formula One. The Austrian claims that the act is 'not comparable' with the much-discussed Michael Schumacher-Rascasse incident of 2006.
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| Niki Lauda, triple World Champion of the 1970s and 80s |
The Renault team announced on Wednesday that both Team Principal Flavio Briatore and Executive Director of Engineering Pat Symonds are no longer part of the outfit which is attending an FIA World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) hearing over the 2008 Singapore race-fix claims by Nelson Piquet Jr. and Sr.
"When I first heard the accusation that Renault had asked Nelson Piquet to crash deliberately, the question was whether it was true or not," Lauda wrote to The Daily Mail. "If it was true, then it amounted to the worst thing that has happened in Formula One; there is only one other incident that comes near - Michael Schumacher parking his Ferrari on the racing line at Monaco in 2006 to block Fernando Alonso's last qualifying lap - but, really, even that is not comparable."
Having raced to world titles in 1975 and 1977 for Ferrari plus a further crown for McLaren in 1984, Lauda despises such tactics. "This time it was about manipulating a race," he continued. "There was also the obvious danger to Piquet, other drivers and spectators.
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| Lauda is appalled by the manner in which Team Principal Briatore approached the situation |
"What also really upset me at the weekend was what Flavio Briatore was saying - he denied it all. His messages were murky, even making comments about Piquet's (Sr.) private life. It was unbelievable. And now, because Briatore has been sacked, we must assume the allegations against Renault were all true.
"Certainly, I would never have crashed on order: firstly because sport is sport and secondly because, in my day, I could have hurt or killed myself. My Nürburgring crash in 1976 was big. I got straight back in and drove as soon as I could. Others were not so lucky. Some died. We do not want a sport where we are putting lives at risk for all the worst reasons."
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| At present, a return to F1 looks unlikely for Nelson Piquet Jr. |
Although Niki understands Nelson Piquet's eventual willingness to commit to the instructions, he by no means sees the Brazilian as entirely innocent. "Why did Piquet do it?" Lauda pondered. "Remember, he was a young driver - more of a child than a man - and was put under pressure by the team, who told him what he must do in order to get a new contract. When I drove we were men and would have said no.
"Yes, the McLaren spying scandal two years ago was extremely serious but mechanics have always discussed technical data among themselves. This, though, is new. The biggest damage ever. Now the FIA must punish Renault heavily to restore credibility in the sport."
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