Crash-gate: radio transcript sheds light on Piquet Jr claims

The allegations at the heart of crash-gate revolve around last year's Singapore Grand Prix on September 28. Renault driver Fernando Alonso (above) won the race, which was the first F1 event to be held at night, on the newly built Marina Bay Street Circuit. His achievement was all the more remarkable because he started 15th on the grid.

However, Alonso's team-mate Nelson Piquet Jr claims that he was instructed by his team chief Flavio Briatore and lead engineer Pat Symonds to purposefully crash into the track wall to boost the team's chances of winning the race. When Piquet crashed into the wall at Turn 17 on lap 13, he did so at a location on the track that meant a crane could not reach his car, thus necessitating a safety car being brought onto the track to slow all the drivers down.

When precautions ended and the debris of Piquet's car had been cleared, the early lead of Ferrari's Felipe Massa, who had started from pole position, was lost as the field fell in behind the safety car. As many of the drivers now needed to enter the pits to refuel and change tyres, Alonso, who had pitted one lap prior to the crash, was able to advance through the field and take victory.

The Times today published transcripts of the radio traffic between the Renault team and their drivers from the Singapore Grand Prix, some of which we reprint below. The transcript will play a key role in whether the FIA decides to charge Renault with any offences...

Early in the race, Pat Symonds talks about the team's pit-stopping strategy with an engineer:

"I can tell you now we are not three-stopping."

Symonds then says: "Don't worry about fuel because I'm going to get him [Alonso] out of this traffic earlier than that."

Later, Nelson Piquet is heard asking his team: "What lap are we in, what lap are we in?"

An engineer then says to his colleagues: "He just asked: 'What lap are we in?'"

Symonds: "Yeah, tell him that he's about to complete lap 8."

Symonds continues: "No, just tell him, he is about, he's just completing, he's about to complete lap eight."

The chief engineer then makes a decision about when Alonso will be pulled in for his first stop: "Right, I'm going to... I think we're going to stop him just before we catch him [a reference to the Williams driver, Kazuki Nakajima, who was ahead of Alonso] and get him out of it, the reason being we've still got this worry on the fuel pump. It's only a couple of laps short. We're going to be stopping him early and we're going to go to lap 40."

Another engineer queries whether this is the right thing to do: "Pat, do you still not think that this is a bit too early? We only did six tenths that lap."

Symonds replies: "No, no it's going to be all right."

After Alonso's 12th lap pit stop, Symonds urges the team to "concentrate on" Piquet. He and Briatore want Piquet to speed up.

"OK right," the engineer tells one of his team, "you've got to push him really bloody hard now. If he doesn't get past Barrichello, he's going nowhere, he's got to get past Barrichello this lap."

Briatore: "Tell him, push..."

Piquet's race engineer relays the message to the Brazilian: "Nelson, no excuses now, you've got to get past Barrichello. You've got four clicks straight-line advantage. Come on, you've got to push now, you must get past him."

Moments later Piquet crashes at turn 17.

Multiple voices: "Nelson's off. Fucking hell. Nelson's had a crash. I would say that would be a red flag. It's huge [all speaking at the same time].

Piquet: "Sorry guys. I had a little outing."

Engineer: "Is he all right, Is he all right?"

Symonds: "Ask him if he's all right."

Engineer: "Are you OK? Are you OK?"

Engineer: "Fernando’s just gone past it."

Engineer: "OK, yellow flag."

Piquet: "Yeah, I hit my head in the back. I think I'm OK."

Engineer: "OK, understood."

Symonds: "Right [inaudible], stop him."

Engineer: "Safety car, safety car, safety car, safety car. Fernando, safety car, mixture three."

Symonds: "Tell him to be careful, turn 17 I think it is."

Amid all this, Briatore is apparently unconcerned about his driver, and starts to criticise him.

Engineer: "Fucking hell that was a big shunt."

Briatore: "Fucking hell... My every fucking disgrace, fucking, he's not a driver."

Then Symonds asks about Alonso.

Symonds: "What position is Fernando in?"

Engineer: "Well, we were 20, and we're first guy to pick the safety car up."

Symonds: "Yeah, we're not..."

Engineer: "He will get away past it but he's got to wait."

Briatore and Symonds then turn their attentions to Alonso.

"What position we are now in all this?" asks Briatore.

Symonds replies: "To be honest, I don't know Flavio. It's got to have been good for Fernando. But I honestly don't know where he is."

The Renault team return to the subject of Piquet and his condition, Briatore finally adds his own concern.

Engineer: "Where is Nelson? Have you seen him?"

Briatore: "Is he OK, Nelson? Is he OK?"

Alonso: "The pitlane is closed until we arrive?"

Engineer: "He climbed out, mate, and ran across the track."

Engineer: "Yeah, the pitlane is still closed."