Saturday October 10, 2009
Coulthard: Piquet should have been punished
NEW DELHI: Formula One’s ruling body should have punished Brazilian Nelson Piquet for the Renault race-fixing controversy, former driver David Coulthard has said.
“I think FIA should have punished Piquet too,” the Times of India reported Coulthard as saying yesterday.
“He was equally guilty as any other. It was really bad. Bad for F1, bad for the fans. The revelations have shaken many, including me.”
The former McLaren and Red Bull driver, who retired last season, was speaking at a Red Bull promotional event in Mumbai.
“I don’t know how anyone can crash an F1 car,” he said. “All through my career I was trying to avoid a crash!
“I will be surprised if he gets an F1 drive again.”
Piquet triggered one of Formula One’s biggest scandals after being dropped by Renault in July when he told the governing body that he had been told to crash deliberately at last year’s Singapore Grand Prix.
He said he had done so to help his Spanish team-mate Fernando Alonso, who was cleared of any involvement in the conspiracy, to win the race.
Renault team boss Flavio Briatore was banned for life for his role in the affair while Renault were handed a suspended permanent ban. Piquet was given immunity in return for testifying.
Coulthard will drive the Red Bull race car on a new sea bridge in Mumbai tomorrow. — Reuters
For Another perspective from The Statesman, a partner of Asia News Network, click here
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