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Max Mosley called it "One of the worst and most dangerous examples of deliberate cheating in the history of sport."
The FIA said "They (Briatore & Symonds) not only compromised the integrity of the sport but also endangered the lives of spectators, officials, other competitors and Nelson Piquet Jr. himself."
David Coulthard said "It was really bad. Bad for F1, bad for the fans. The revelations have shaken many, including me."
The FIA said "They (Briatore & Symonds) not only compromised the integrity of the sport but also endangered the lives of spectators, officials, other competitors and Nelson Piquet Jr. himself."
David Coulthard said "It was really bad. Bad for F1, bad for the fans. The revelations have shaken many, including me."
Lookin' good
As you know in September Briatore was banned from Formula 1 from life after being found guilty of race-fixing charges. Today a French court thought it was wrong that Briatore and Symonds be punished for the worst case of cheating in all of sport, and so Briatore was awarded 15,000 euros in compensation, and Symonds 5,000 euros compensation and are no longer banned from the sport that they almost ruined.
The reason this French court gave for condoning cheating was that "The court ruled the (FIA) sanction was illegal," the judge told the Paris court.
Afterwards Flavio said "The decision handed down today restores to me the dignity and freedom that certain people had arbitrarily attempted to deprive me of."
But what do you think ? Does this mean that Ferrari or MercedesGP could do the same thing this year for their drivers and face no penalty atall ?
One of our members Neil Stewart said.... "Formula 1 has a history stretching back decades, with brave drivers and spectators who lost their lives and countless other incidents that the whole F1 community has learned from - in the name of progress and safety
The lofty pedestal that F1 now occupies in the world of sport generally has been bloody hard earned. And against that backdrop what place does a proven cheat have who ignores all the rules and all the lessons learned over the decades and whose only driven pursuit is for that of profit and the media spotlight...?"
"Simply put, it's Formula 1's character and integrity that has been damaged by Flavio's actions and if he's allowed to return"..."that's a direct kick in the face to all those who have helped shape and evolve the sport over the passge of time.
He was banned for life and it should damn well stay that way."
Tell us what you think now Flavio, Nelson Piquet Jr and Pat Symonds can return to the F1... is it right ? and when will they be back ?......
The Renault F1 Team has finally confirmed the appointment of Eric Boullier as Team Principal with immediate effect.
Boullier joins Renault with after a lengthy career with DAMS in various categories including the GP2 Series.
“I am incredibly proud to be joining the Renault F1 Team as Team Principal,” he said. “Renault is one of the most famous and successful names in motorsport and I look forward to leading the team into the new season. In the past Renault has demonstrated that it is one of the top teams in Formula One and I am sure that with hard work and determination we can challenge at the front once again.”
With no experience in F1 at all, Boullier will have his work cut out for him. But the popular 36 year-old has a vast amount of experience outside the community, from Formula Le Mans and Formula BMW to A1GP and GP2.
"The team wanted some fresh blood and to open a new chapter," he said. "F1 is made of cycles and the shape of tomorrow's sport is being defined now with a new generation beginning to fill the paddock little-by-little. Ferrari and McLaren have, among others, followed this evolution. And Christian Horner from Red Bull Racing is my age!"
"I have been appointed by Renault F1 Team who stays in charge of all operational aspects of its F1 activity," he said. "Of course, representatives of Genii Capital were consulted, but it would be wrong to think of Renault as a two-headed structure that will have two decision-making hubs. This is one team with one structure."
"I have set myself relatively high objectives," he said. "F1 is a dream for an engineer and I wouldn't want to let this opportunity pass me by. There is no pressure, only the motivation to do the job for which I have been appointed well."
Boullier joins Renault with after a lengthy career with DAMS in various categories including the GP2 Series.
“I am incredibly proud to be joining the Renault F1 Team as Team Principal,” he said. “Renault is one of the most famous and successful names in motorsport and I look forward to leading the team into the new season. In the past Renault has demonstrated that it is one of the top teams in Formula One and I am sure that with hard work and determination we can challenge at the front once again.”
With no experience in F1 at all, Boullier will have his work cut out for him. But the popular 36 year-old has a vast amount of experience outside the community, from Formula Le Mans and Formula BMW to A1GP and GP2.
"The team wanted some fresh blood and to open a new chapter," he said. "F1 is made of cycles and the shape of tomorrow's sport is being defined now with a new generation beginning to fill the paddock little-by-little. Ferrari and McLaren have, among others, followed this evolution. And Christian Horner from Red Bull Racing is my age!"
"I have been appointed by Renault F1 Team who stays in charge of all operational aspects of its F1 activity," he said. "Of course, representatives of Genii Capital were consulted, but it would be wrong to think of Renault as a two-headed structure that will have two decision-making hubs. This is one team with one structure."
"I have set myself relatively high objectives," he said. "F1 is a dream for an engineer and I wouldn't want to let this opportunity pass me by. There is no pressure, only the motivation to do the job for which I have been appointed well."
Kimi Raikkonen has spoken about how winning the World Rally Championship would mean more to him than having taken the Formula 1 title in the past or the future.
The 2007 Formula 1 champion is moving to the WRC with the Citroen Junior team for the 2010 season after spending nine years in Formula 1.
Red Bulletin magazine had an exclusive interview with the 2007 champion. Raikkonen admitted that a WRC title would be a huge achievement for him.
"More than my F1 world championship title," Raikkonen said when asked what a WRC title would mean to him.
"I'm just starting out and I can sense what a long journey it would be to get to that point."
Raikkonen said his move to the WRC will be the greatest challenge he has faced so far in his career.
"It's definitely the biggest challenge yet," he continued. "I've got to learn everything from scratch. But I want the challenge. I have to get to know the car, the rallies, how to work with my co-driver [Kaj Lindstrom], everything.
"I'm looking forward to it. And you've got to set yourself some competition if you really want to know how good you are. I'll still be able to drive around the forest in a private rally car."
He continued: "The first few rallies are bound to be tough. Until I know how fast the other drivers are, I'm holding back on any personal expectations. I'm sure I won't manage to keep up with the top four [Loeb, Dani Sordo, Hirvonen, Latvala].
"In F1, politics gets in the way of the exciting side of things. The atmosphere in rallying is much nicer and there's a lot less politics involved. It's must more about how the driver performs."
The 30-year-old Finn said the new challenge is making him feel like he's at the start of his career again, A little similar to what Schumacher said when he decided to come back eh?
"I'm finding a bit of the young Kimi in me again," he said. "A world rally car is quicker and tougher than the S2000 car I dove last year on the Rally Finland; it's 10 times better to driver and has more power.
"It's why you can still come out of critical situations. If the Fiat ever went sideways with its non-turbo engine, it was game over."
The 2007 Formula 1 champion is moving to the WRC with the Citroen Junior team for the 2010 season after spending nine years in Formula 1.
Red Bulletin magazine had an exclusive interview with the 2007 champion. Raikkonen admitted that a WRC title would be a huge achievement for him.
"More than my F1 world championship title," Raikkonen said when asked what a WRC title would mean to him.
"I'm just starting out and I can sense what a long journey it would be to get to that point."
Raikkonen said his move to the WRC will be the greatest challenge he has faced so far in his career.
"It's definitely the biggest challenge yet," he continued. "I've got to learn everything from scratch. But I want the challenge. I have to get to know the car, the rallies, how to work with my co-driver [Kaj Lindstrom], everything.
"I'm looking forward to it. And you've got to set yourself some competition if you really want to know how good you are. I'll still be able to drive around the forest in a private rally car."
He continued: "The first few rallies are bound to be tough. Until I know how fast the other drivers are, I'm holding back on any personal expectations. I'm sure I won't manage to keep up with the top four [Loeb, Dani Sordo, Hirvonen, Latvala].
"In F1, politics gets in the way of the exciting side of things. The atmosphere in rallying is much nicer and there's a lot less politics involved. It's must more about how the driver performs."
The 30-year-old Finn said the new challenge is making him feel like he's at the start of his career again, A little similar to what Schumacher said when he decided to come back eh?
"I'm finding a bit of the young Kimi in me again," he said. "A world rally car is quicker and tougher than the S2000 car I dove last year on the Rally Finland; it's 10 times better to driver and has more power.
"It's why you can still come out of critical situations. If the Fiat ever went sideways with its non-turbo engine, it was game over."
Formula 1's Notes
It's OK to cheat & race-fixJan 5, 2010
Eric Boullier new principal at RenaultJan 5, 2010
Raikkonen: "WRC title would mean more to me than my F1 title"Jan 5, 2010
Fate of Briatore to be decided todayJan 5, 2010
Q & A with Button and HamiltonJan 4, 2010
Kimi to Red Bull?Jan 1, 2010
Button awarded MBEDec 31, 2009
Toro Rosso denies offer to RalfDec 31, 2009
Ferrari's Domenicali hints at points for pole in 2010Dec 30, 2009
Ralf to follow Michaels returnDec 30, 2009