Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds quit Renault

Flavio Briatore has left Formula One in disgrace after Renault said they would not contest race-fixing allegations and announced that Briatore and his deputy Pat Symonds had quit the team.

The flamboyant Italian was accused by former driver Nelson Piquet Jnr of ordering him to crash out of the Singapore Grand Prix last season in order to help his team mate Fernando Alonso.

In a statement, Renault said: "The ING Renault F1 Team will not dispute the recent allegations made by the FIA concerning the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.

"It also wishes to state that its managing director, Flavio Briatore and its executive director of engineering, Pat Symonds, have left the team. Before attending the hearing before the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Paris on 21 September 2009, the team will not make any further comment."

The statement is tantamount to an admission that Piquet's claims are based in truth and the dramatic exits of both Briatore (left) and Symonds (right) could save the Renault team from being thrown out of the sport altogether.

The French manufacturer initially rejected Piquet's allegations and announced it was launching legal action accusing him of blackmail. Piquet launched a broadside at the team and Briatore in particular after being fired midway through the season.

It was thought that the claims may have been sour grapes on the part of the driver. However the FIA chose to investigate and there has been a dramatic volte face from Renault after they were ordered to attend a hearing and the subsequent publication of transcripts of conversations between members of the team and the drivers during the race.

It also emerged that Symonds had been offered immunity by the FIA ahead of the hearing, if he was prepared to testify against Briatore.