'Something very unusual happened' - Mosley on Piquet crash

[Dare]

If Renault had kept his mouth both Piquet's wouldn't have said a word so even
Renault probably staged the wreck both Piquet's were prepared to use blackmail
to keep rich boy in F1.They all should have been banned

15 September 2009

FIA President Max Mosley admits that the crash of Nelson Piquet Jr. in last year's Singapore Grand Prix does appear to be suspect. The Renault team remains under investigation for the incident, which eventually helped team-mate Fernando Alonso to victory.

There is no doubt over the fact that Piquet's incident assisted Alonso's victory, as the Safety Car was deployed just a few minutes after the Spaniard's first pit-stop, although the FIA World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) will hear the team's official version of events on Monday 21 September.



"Certainly the data from the car indicated that something very unusual had happened on the corner where he crashed, according to the experts who look at these things," Mosley told The Guardian, "so there was enough there to make it unthinkable not to investigate. This week Renault will send in written documents but the actual hearing of their defence is next Monday."

The FIA President, who will move into retirement next month, also admits that gossip surrounding the incident reached the FIA some time ago. "Two or three months earlier I'd heard this allegation was floating around," he explained. "Of course, there was nothing one could do then because there was no evidence, it was all rumour and hearsay; so I knew the allegation existed but, yes, I was quite surprised they were actually prepared to come forward and make it.

"Nelson Piquet Sr. (father and Manager of Nelson Jr.) came to see me after the Hungarian Grand Prix in late July and said all this had happened, so I listened to him and said 'Well, if Nelson (Jr.) makes a sworn statement then obviously we'll investigate it.' The father arranged for that to happen. We then started to look at all the on-board data and all the recordings we've got of everything that happened in the ca

[Jericoke]

Not that it really matters, but how can Max say that the evidence from the car was suspicous, but there was no evidence to start an investigation?

I know it's politics, but at least get the story straight before running someone out on a rail.

[Scott]

Maybe the evidence shows something broke on Piquets car and the investigation is a no-go.

[Jericoke]

"Certainly the data from the car indicated that something very unusual had happened on the corner where he crashed, according to the experts who look at these things," Mosley told The Guardian, "so there was enough there to make it unthinkable not to investigate."

"Of course, there was nothing one could do then because there was no evidence"

Which is true?  The data  made it unthinkinble not to investigate?  Or there was no evidence?

[cosworth151]

C'mon, Jeri, this is Max. What does evidence have to do with real world data? Next you'll be wanting him to base his actions on actual facts.

[Scott]

Maybe his foot slipped off the brake and hit the throttle (assuming he's a right-foot brake kinda guy)...based on his previous races, it wouldn't have been too surprising.   

Honestly, even with telemetry showing an unusual throttle blip mid-corner, it is everyone's word against the other's.  I don't think anyone was stupid enough to take minutes of their meeting. 

I wonder why Max is so anti-Flav?  The guy even gave him a few helicopter rides to the races with Bernie in tow.  On the other hand, Flav doesn't really come across as a professional team manager in F1 (not that he ever did).  Maybe he should just retire himself and go run his Billionaire's clubs and his Kenyan retreat.  Girls are waiting in hot tubs for him, or so I'm told.