page_title: Renault Formula One crash controversy
section_title: 2008 Singapore Grand Prix
hierarchical_section_title: Renault Formula One crash controversy / Background / 2008 Singapore Grand Prix
caption_attribution_description: English: 2008 Singapore Grand Prix podium Alonso Rosberg Hamilton
context_page_description: The Renault Formula One crash controversy, dubbed Crashgate by some in the media, was a sporting scandal caused when Renault F1 driver, Nelson Piquet Jr, deliberately crashed during the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, to give a sporting advantage to his Renault teammate Fernando Alonso.
  On 28 September 2008, on the 14th lap of the Singapore race, the Renault R28 driven by Piquet crashed into the circuit wall at turn 17, necessitating a safety car deployment. The other Renault driver, Fernando Alonso, had previously made an early pitstop, and was promoted to the race lead as other cars pitted under safety car conditions. Alonso subsequently won the race after starting 15th on the grid. Piquet described his crash at the time as a simple mistake.
  After being dropped by the Renault team following the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix, Piquet alleged that he had been asked by the team to deliberately crash to improve the race situation for Alonso, sparking an investigation of Renault F1 for race fixing by Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, the Formula One governing body.
context_section_description: The 2008 Singapore Grand Prix was the fifteenth race of the 2008 Formula One season, and took place on 28 September 2008. The race was Formula One's first night race. On the race weekend, despite Alonso being close to the top in practice, Renault had a poor qualifying session and started well down the grid, with Fernando Alonso starting in fifteenth place, and Nelson Piquet Jr. alongside him in 16th. Alonso was eliminated during qualifying because of mechanical failure.
  During the warm-up lap, Piquet spun at the exact corner where he would later crash out, but was in this instance able to continue. After the race started, Alonso was the first driver to make a routine pit stop for fuel and tyres on lap 12, rejoining the race at the back of the field. He had put in a light fuel load at the start of the race in an attempt to pass the cars in front of him; most drivers that qualify in low positions tend to do the opposite and go for heavier fuel loads to make one fewer pit stop (approximately 30 seconds each in terms of time loss) than the leaders, as they do not want to waste a light car and an extra pit stop for a faster car that is stuck behind slower vehicles. Three laps later, Nelson Piquet Jr. hit the circuit wall at turn seventeen, one of the turns on the circuit which did not have a crane nearby, necessitating the deployment of the safety car.
  Safety car regulations in 2008 meant that the pit lane was closed until all cars had been bunched up behind the safety car. Hence the advantage of the lead cars would be eliminated before they were able to pit and after they did pit, they would re-enter the race at the back of the field. Alonso, having pitted just before the safety car was introduced, therefore gained a significant advantage. (Under previous regulations, the pit lane remained open during safety car incidents and the lead cars could quickly pit before their lead was eliminated and re-enter the race with less loss of track position.) In order to avoid running out of fuel, some drivers did need to pit while the pit lane was closed and they were penalised for the infraction.
  Most of the leading cars ended up behind Alonso and also behind some slower drivers who proved difficult to pass on the narrow circuit; those ahead of Alonso were lighter on fuel and whilst they were able to pull away, they still needed to make a pit stop. After gaining the lead in the final third of the race, Alonso went on to win the race.
  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.
  — Fernando Alonso after the race, his first win of the year.
  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.
  — Nelson Piquet Jr. after the race.
  No action was initially taken over the crash. Piquet Jr. initially characterised the crash as a simple mistake. In the post-race press release from Renault F1, the team described Alonso's performance as a "brilliant tactical drive", while both Briatore and Symonds attributed the safety car use as a case of good luck. Following the race, freelance Formula One journalist Joe Saward, writing on grandprix.com, stated that "some cynics" were questioning the incident, but dismissed it with the opinion that "one likes to believe that no team would ever be so desperate as to have a driver throw his car at a wall". According to the Brazilian television station Rede Globo, Brazilian driver Felipe Massa, who finished the Singapore race in 13th having been leading at the time of Piquet Jr.'s crash, and 
caption: Alonso on the podium of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, with Briatore far right (white shirt)
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