Formula 1 News

Nelsinho Piquet: “I am the major victim of the crashgate” 

During his first interview after the ‘crashgate’ scandal, former Renault driver Nelsinho Piquet has claimed that he has become the major victim of the fixed race last year in Singapore. The Brazilian also reckons that it will be hard for him to continue his F1 career.

“Some people have suggested I should have been punished by the FIA but, in reality, no one has been punished more than I have,” Piquet told The Times newspaper.

“I am at the beginning of my career, unlike the others who have been punished in this case. I am going to have to overcome many obstacles. I more or less have to start my career from scratch in Formula 1 or justify myself in whatever category I might race in,” he continued.

Piquet also claims that the decision to favour team-mate Fernando Alonso was taken a few hours before the Grand Prix therefore he didn’t have the time to think it through. “It all happened so quickly, I must confess that I could never possibly have weighed up the consequences,” he said.

“I was in a difficult position at the time and the renegotiation of my contract was in play if I didn’t accept the strategy. I was taken by surprise by the request of the two most important people in the team after all, one of them was my manager,” he explained.

“The crash plan was only made hours before the race, I did not have time to think straight. If the proposal had been made during free practice I would have had more time to think and to act in another way,” he continued.

“Alonso did not participate in the meeting when the idea of a crash was developed. If he knew or not about the plan, is a detail that I do not know,” he added.