From GMM
The information emerged on Thursday not in the form of unsubstantiated gossip in the Monza paddock, but a formalised statement to the FIA given by the sacked Renault driver Piquet on July 30.
A signed copy of the document was scanned and published by several websites.
Piquet, 23, said he agreed to engineering boss Symonds and manager Briatore's request due to his "fragile and emotional state of mind" and the hope the favour would result in a new contract for 2010.
Piquet said in the document: “Mr. Symonds, in the presence of Mr. Briatore, asked me if I would be willing to sacrifice my race for the team by “causing a safety car”.
The Brazilian driver told chief steward Alan Donnelly and investigators from the firm Quest that neither of his bosses discussed the safety of fellow drivers and members of the public, except for Symonds' brief "be careful".
Piquet added: Mr. Symonds also told me which exact lap to cause the incident upon, so that a strategy could deployed for my team-mate Mr. Fernando Alonso to refuel at the pit shortly before the deployment of the safety car, which he indeed did during lap twelve.”
Piquet mentioned he intentionally caused the crash by letting go of control of the car just before the relevant corner.
He added in the document that his race engineer questioned the nature of the incident because he found it unusual. “A clever engineer would notice from the car’s telemetry that I caused the incident on purpose as I continued accelerating, whereas a “normal” reaction would be to brake as soon as possible.”
photo: FOM TV footage
The information emerged on Thursday not in the form of unsubstantiated gossip in the Monza paddock, but a formalised statement to the FIA given by the sacked Renault driver Piquet on July 30.
A signed copy of the document was scanned and published by several websites.
Piquet, 23, said he agreed to engineering boss Symonds and manager Briatore's request due to his "fragile and emotional state of mind" and the hope the favour would result in a new contract for 2010.
Piquet said in the document: “Mr. Symonds, in the presence of Mr. Briatore, asked me if I would be willing to sacrifice my race for the team by “causing a safety car”.
The Brazilian driver told chief steward Alan Donnelly and investigators from the firm Quest that neither of his bosses discussed the safety of fellow drivers and members of the public, except for Symonds' brief "be careful".
Piquet added: Mr. Symonds also told me which exact lap to cause the incident upon, so that a strategy could deployed for my team-mate Mr. Fernando Alonso to refuel at the pit shortly before the deployment of the safety car, which he indeed did during lap twelve.”
Piquet mentioned he intentionally caused the crash by letting go of control of the car just before the relevant corner.
He added in the document that his race engineer questioned the nature of the incident because he found it unusual. “A clever engineer would notice from the car’s telemetry that I caused the incident on purpose as I continued accelerating, whereas a “normal” reaction would be to brake as soon as possible.”
photo: FOM TV footage