2008’s F1 Crashgate scandal is notorious within the racing industry with fans around the world aware of the name.
But what exactly happened on that fateful day in 2008?
In this blog, our experts provide you with a complete overview of F1 Crashgate - including how it’s impacted the industry since.
Crashgate F1 Simplified
|
Where? |
Singapore Grand Prix |
|
When? |
28th September 2008 |
|
Who? |
Nelson Piquet Jr and Fernando Alonso |
|
Why? |
To give Alonso an advantage (that eventually made him win the race) |
|
How? |
Deliberate crash |
Put simply, Crashgate was a crash by Renault driver, Nelson Piquet Jr in the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.
However, despite Piquet saying it was ‘a simple mistake’, he later admitted that he was asked to crash by Renault to give his teammate, Fernando Alonso (who made our best-ever F1 drivers list) an advantage.
The crash led to Alonso lifting the trophy that race and some critics believe it eventually cost Felipe Massa the World Championship - losing to Lewis Hamilton by one point.
Let’s Set the Scene for the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix
The Singapore Grand Prix was the first night race of the 2008 season.
The atmosphere was full of excitement, except for one of the biggest F1 teams - Renault.
The drivers at Renault were Fernando Alonso - a long-standing driver - and Nelson Piquet Jr - a newcomer.
By 2008, Renault was in the middle of the results table, and team leaders Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds were feeling the pressure to succeed. Plus, Alonso hadn’t even been on the podium the entire season!
They devised a plan to secure a win…
(Un)Lucky Lap 14 for Piquet and Alonso
Piquet crashed his car on lap 14 - seemingly due to his inexperience. Naturally, a safety car was brought out but this was all part of Renault’s plan.
During the 2007 and 2008 racing seasons, the pitlane was shut off when the safety car was out.
You can see where we’re going here…
Alonso had pitted just before the crash meaning he could exploit the safety car opportunity.
And that he sure did!
He moved up the rankings and ended up winning the race.
Hence, the 2008 F1 Crashgate scandal was born.
What Alonso and Piquet said about Crashgate
Of course, this isn’t the first crash to ever happen in F1. At the time, people thought it was just a simple mistake and Alonso had got super lucky.
He said:
“A first podium of the season and first victory as well and I am extremely happy. I cannot believe it right now, I think I need a couple of days to realise we won a race this year.
“It seems impossible all through the season to be close to the top guys and here suddenly we have been competitive from Friday. Obviously, we started at the back and the first safety car helped me a lot and I was able to win the race.”
At least he admitted that the safety car had helped him!
On the other hand, Piquet said:
“From the start of the race, things were complicated and I had a lot of graining and the situation got worse and worse.
“The team asked me to push, which I tried to do and finally I lost the rear of my car. I hit the wall heavily but I'm OK.
“I am disappointed with my race but obviously very happy for the team this evening.”
Spoken like a true professional… for now.
How Did F1 Crashgate Get Revealed?
Originally, nothing was thought of the crash - it was simply ‘a mistake’.
Renault said Alonso was a ‘brilliant tactical driver’ and Briatore added the safety car was just good luck.
Piquet finished the 2008 season in twelfth place and signed on for a single-year contract - again, with Alonso as his teammate.
By the 10th race of 2009, Piquet hadn’t scored any points and by August he had been dropped by the team.
Early Suspicions and Investigations
Later that month, Brazilian television reported that Piquet had been ordered to crash. The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) instantly announced it was investigating ‘alleged incidents at a previous F1 event’.
Many suspected that the race was indeed the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.
And they were correct!
After the investigation, Renault was formally accused of meddling with the result of the Singapore Grand Prix in 2008 as well as scheming with Piquet.
The Leaked Evidence
In September, Piquet made his second statement to the FIA.
The very same day, a transcript of his first statement was published! It revealed that Piquet said he was asked by Briatore to crash his car at a certain corner. He also questioned if Alonso knew about the race.
Speaking of Alonso, he denied knowing anything about the crash:
“I cannot imagine these things, these situations. It’s something that never entered my mind.”
During the investigation, Alonso was freed of any blame by the FIA and Piquet would face no further action - even if Renault wasn’t to blame.
Bye Bye Bye
Just mere days later, the Renault F1 team stated it would not be contesting the charges and that Briatore and Pat Symonds had left.
The statement said:
“The ING Renault F1 Team will not dispute the recent allegations made by the FIA concerning the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.
“It also wishes to state that its managing director, Flavio Briatore, and its executive director of engineering, Pat Symonds, have left the team.”
Despite the departures, the FIA confirmed that punishment against Renault could still be possible.
What Was the Outcome of the Investigation?
After a ninety-minute hearing, Renault was given a two-year suspension.
Sounds fair, but what does that actually mean for the team?
If a similar matter happened before 2011, Renault would be banned from Formula 1.
As for Briatore and Symonds, the former was banned completely from any FIA-sanctioned event as well as managing drivers, and the latter was given a five-year ban.
Why such different verdicts for both involved?
Quite simply: Briatore denied his involvement whilst Symonds confessed.
A Renault employee’s testimony - who was dubbed ‘Witness X’ - revealed they were at the pre-race meeting but rejected the idea. It is thought that ultimately, this contribution played a big factor in the outcomes of the pair.
A Case of He Said, She Said…
In October 2009, Braitore revealed he was planning to sue the FIA for his lifetime ban.
He said he had suffered from numerous wrongdoings, such as:
- A delay in summons
- Failure to state the charges in advance
- Lack of access to documents
He succeeded in his overruling and was awarded €15,000 in compensation. Symonds also had his ban overturned and received a compensation of €5,000.
The following January, the FIA announced it was appealing the overturning decisions!
Eventually, Briatore, Symonds, and the FIA reached a settlement: both men agreed to stop working in Formula 1 until 2013, as well as other FIA-sanctioned championships until the end of 2011.
How Did the Fans React to Crashgate?
As you can imagine, there are a lot of different opinions and thoughts on F1’s Crashgate.
Sir Jackie Stewart (former three-time World Champion) said of the incident:
“There is something fundamentally rotten and wrong at the heart of Formula 1. Never in my experience has Formula 1 been in such a mood of self-destruction.
“Millions of fans are amazed, if not disgusted, at a sport which now goes from crisis to crisis with everyone blaming everyone else."
Our very own Matt Cole, F1 super-fan, says:
“I think we can see how much this has shaped the sport we watch today, with rules being implemented that actually allow for fair play in the sport!”
On the other hand, former racing driver Eddie Irvine, said:
"This is probably slightly on the wrong side of the cheating thing but in days past every team has done whatever they could to win – cheat, bend the rules, break the rules, sabotage opponents.
“[T]his is just the FIA going on a crusade."
What Happened to Alonso and Piquet Afterward?
Unsurprisingly, Piquet has been heavily condemned within the community.
Martin Brundle, F1 commentator, even suggested that Piquet was effectively unemployable in the industry as who (team and sponsor alike) would want to be associated with him?
Brundle also commented that it was unfair that he escaped repercussions whilst others were highly punished.
Nowadays, Piquet is racing in the United States. He has competed in NASCAR, Formula E, and currently Stock Car Pro Series.
Alonso has remained relatively unscathed since the scandal. He has gone on to race for some of the biggest names in F1, like:
- Ferrari
- McLaren
- Alpine
- Aston Martin
However, in 2014 Felipe Massa suggested that Alonso was aware of the crash. Is that some jealousy we hear?
Are Symonds and Briatore Still in Formula 1?
Yes! Symonds returned to F1 as a technical consultant in 2011 for Virgin Racing. He then moved to Williams as a chief technical officer (CTO) in 2013.
Then in 2017, he was hired by Formula 1 to be their CTO. He held this position until 2024 when he became the Executive Engineering Consultant for the Andretti Cadillac F1 programme.
Briatore also returned to F1 as an ambassador for the sport. In 2024, he became a Special Advisor to Team Ernstone.
After 2008’s F1 Crashgate, How Did the Season End?
Going into the Singapore race, Lewis Hamilton led by one point but finished with a seven-point lead!
The 2008 season ended with Hamilton piping Massa to the top spot by just one point. Plus, who can forget “Is that [Timo] Glock going slowly?” around the final corner to give Hamilton the Championship win.
With this in mind, Massa believes that Crashgate ultimately cost him the 2008 F1 title.
So why didn’t Massa dispute the outcome?
At the time, there was a rule that the World Championship ranking couldn’t be changed after the FIA awards ceremony.
Massa is reported to be launching an investigation as to whether he can take legal action regarding the outcome.
Previous FIA president, Jean Todt, supports Massa’s claims that the FIA should have cancelled the results of the race when the allegations first emerged.
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