F1: Briatore Grilled By Renault Boss

Formula 1

F1: Briatore Grilled By Renault Boss

Flavio Briatore was called to Paris today to explain the Singapore affair to his boss...

Adam Cooper | http://www.speedtv.com | Posted September 10, 2009 Monza (ITA)

Flavio Briatore (Right) was called to Paris Thursday to explain the Singapore affair to his boss, Renault CEO Carlo Ghosn (Left). (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Flavio Briatore was called to Paris today to explain the Singapore affair to his boss, Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn, SPEEDtv.com can reveal.

Furthermore it seems that Ghosn and the Renault board is backing its F1 team principal and may even support legal action against Nelson Piquet Jr.

Since the affair blew up there have been strong suggestions that it would hasten Renault’s departure from the sport and/or that it would precipitate a split between Briatore and the company he has enjoyed connections with since Benetton signed an engine deal for 1995.

Renault has suffered huge PR damage in the past 11 days since the story first broke.

To most observers Briatore appears to be in an untenable position, especially after details of Nelson Piquet’s allegations came to light yesterday, pinpointing his role in the plan to stage an accident.

However sources close to Renault suggest that in today’s encounter Briatore may have succeeded in gaining the backing of the board, and that he has in effect convinced then that Piquet Jr is an unreliable witness.

It’s even been hinted that Renault could back Briatore in issuing legal proceedings against the Brazilian, presumably on the basis that he had damaged the company’s – and Flavio’s – reputations.

Whether such legal action could happen before or after the crucial World Motor Sport Council hearing on September 21 remains to be seen.

Piquet’s own statement to the FIA, which appeared on the internet today concedes that he was ‘in a fragile and emotional state of mind’ that weekend. It was made four days before he released a statement to the press calling Briatore his ‘executioner.’

Briatore returned to the UK after his trip to France but is expected to be in Monza on Friday for his first public appearance since the scandal erupted.

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Adam Cooper

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