Lauda asks the FIA to impose a heavy penalty on Renault

The former Formula 1 world champion, Niki Lauda, has asked the FIA to severely punish Renault. The French team is accused of cheating during the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. According to Lauda, the facts speak for themselves and only a significant sanction can restore credibility to F1.

Lauda reacts to the case as Briatore and Symonds have just left the team. According to him, it’s not because the people responsible have left that the team should be exonerated. For him, the case is much more serious than the McLaren espionage case or the fictional Schumacher issue in 2006 in Monaco.

« The first time I heard the accusations, I first wondered if they were true or not. » he commented to the newspaper The Daily Mail. « I then realized that if it were true, it was the worst thing that had ever happened in F1… »

« The only similar event is when Michael Schumacher stopped in a corner in Monaco in 2006, thus blocking Fernando Alonso’s qualifying lap… But it’s to a lesser extent! »

The seven-time F1 world champion was then sanctioned by the FIA that same evening, being required to start from the last position in the race. Several inquiries followed, asking the German for explanations.

« Of course, the McLaren espionage case two years ago is also very serious, but the mechanics were only talking about data among themselves… These events with Renault are of a new kind. They are even more serious, and the FIA must punish them severely to restore their credibility and that of the sport! »

Lauda was also very disappointed with Briatore’s behavior, then Renault director, during last week’s Italian GP: « He initially denied everything about the matter. But gradually, he was forced to confess… it’s really bad behavior for everyone! »

Flavio Briatore was criticized from all sides by the German, Italian, and especially Spanish press. The drivers also shared their comments. Franck Montagny (former test driver for the Renault F1 Team) admitted that “Briatore ruined my career” and that “it is only justice.”

As a reminder, Flavio Briatore, who has been in Formula 1 for over 20 years, risks being permanently banned from F1 and any FIA-sanctioned sport.