Formula 1: Top 5 Scandals and Controversies 

#3 ‘Crashgate’ - 2008 Singapore Grand Prix

Nelson Piquet Jr. crashed at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix

The Singapore Grand Prix is famous in F1 for being the first ever night race. The glitz and glamour of the Singapore Grand Prix is found at few other tracks, however, the first iteration of this race was marred by Renault’s crash controversy, which has now come to be known as ‘Crashgate’.

For a team that had won the championship as recently as 2006, 2008 had been a highly disappointing season for Renault. Fernando Alonso started the race in 15th place and was one of the first drivers to make a routine stop for fuel and new tires on lap 12.

He rejoined the race at the back of the grid, but on lap 17, Renault instructed their other driver, Nelson Piquet Jr., to crash his car. Piquet Jr. crashed at turn 17, a place where there were no cranes nearby, which meant the safety car had to come out while the stricken Renault was recovered. 2008 F1 regulations meant that the pit lane was closed until the safety car had picked up the entire grid, which meant that the lead the front runners had built up was wiped out when they pitted under safety car conditions.

Their pit stops allowed Alonso to take over the lead while the others rejoined behind him. Singapore being a notoriously difficult track to overtake meant that Alonso was able to hold on and take his first and only win of the season.

In 2009, when Renault dropped Piquet Jr. Following the Hungarian Grand Prix, Piquet Jr. Alleged that Renault had forced him to crash deliberately in the Singapore Grand Prix thus fixing the result and allowing Alonso to win. These allegations sparked a FIA investigation into the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, where it was established that Renault had been guilty of fixing the race. The fallout from this race was massive.

Renault was suspended from F1 for two years, with managing director Flavio Briatore banned from all forms of motorsports for life, with chief executive of engineering Pat Symonds banned for 5 years.

The race also impacted that year’s world championship battle, as Felipe Massa who was leading the race at the time of the crash, saw his lead wiped out and ultimately finished outside the points and went on to lose the title to Lewis Hamilton by one point. Alonso was however allowed to hold on to the race win as he had no part in the entire decision.