Disgraced Formula One giant Renault was forced to strip its cars of key sponsor logos yesterday after Dutch banking group ING and Spanish insurance company Mutua Madrilena severed ties with the team.
ING dropped a bombshell by announcing that its three-year deal would be terminated with immediate effect after the French car manufacturer was handed a two-year suspended ban for its part on the Singapore race-fixing scandal.
It followed former driver Nelson Piquet Jr’s claims that he had been ordered to deliberately crash at last year’s race to allow teammate Fernando Alonso to win.
Former team principal Flavio Briatore, who quit in the aftermath of the scandal, was handed a lifetime ban and chief engineer Pat Symonds was suspended for five years when the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council met in Paris on Monday.
“ING announced that in light of the verdict of the World Motor Sport Council of 21 September 2009 concerning the events that occurred at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, ING will terminate the contract with Renault Formula 1 with immediate effect,” an ING statement said. “ING is deeply disappointed at this turn of events, especially in the context of an otherwise successful sponsorship.”
The company had planned to leave Renault at the end of the season, but will now depart four races early.
Fellow sponsor Mutua Madrilena also announced it was ending its agreement with Renault, blaming the team’s “substantial breach” of the sport’s regulations.
“Mutua Madrilena believes the conduct of the relevant people in the team was of extraordinary seriousness and not only compromised the integrity of the sport but also put the physical safety of spectators, drivers and circuit personnel at risk,” it said in a statement. “This could affect the image, reputation and good name of the team’s sponsors.”
The company will continue its association with Alonso, who was cleared of any wrongdoing.
Renault wasted no time in removing the ING and Mutua logos from its cars, as well as the team garage and motorhome, ahead of yesterday’s first practice session of the Singapore Grand Prix.
The team have attempted to start drawing a line under the cheating affair by announcing they would withdraw their threat of legal action against Piquet and the driver’s father Nelson Piquet senior, a former world champion.
Briatore had launched legal proceedings against the pair, accusing them of blackmail.
“We are keen to put this whole affair behind us,” Renault’s lawyer Ali Malek told the World Motor Sport Council, in documents that have since been made public. “Criminal proceedings were brought in France, but these have been withdrawn.”
In Singapore, the team have refused further comment, although Alonso insisted the situation in the garage was back to normal.
“I am happy that everything is clear now, and I am happy also that it is clear I was not involved in the incident and had nothing in that matter,” he told reporters.
“Everything is completely normal,” he added on Renault’s preparation for Sunday’s race,” Alonso said. “Pat is not here, and Flavio. But there are other people who are doing a similar job. So the team has no difference at all compared to any other race and there is no changes at all in approach to this weekend.”
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