Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet (Brasília) consisting of Nelson Piquet and Johnny Cecotto. The event had been run in tandem with another promotional race held in Brazil, the 2 Hours Curitiba, which was held the weekend before the race in Brasilia. The following year the BPR Global GT Series became the FIA GT Championship, and the Brazilian races ultimately proved to be a one-off. There was discussion in 1997 about the possibility of Formula 1 returning to the circuit, with a proposal initiated by Nelson Piquet to move the Brazilian Grand Prix from Interlagos to Brasilia from 1999 onwards, but this proposal was short-lived. In 2006,
Renault Formula One crash controversy Renault Formula One crash controversy The Renault Formula One crash controversy, dubbed Crashgate by some in the media, is a sporting scandal perpetrated by the Renault F1 team who ordered Nelson Piquet Jr. to crash deliberately during the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, to gain a sporting advantage for his Renault teammate Fernando Alonso. On 28 September 2008, on the 14th lap of the Singapore race, the Renault R28 driven by Piquet crashed into the circuit wall at turn 17, necessitating a safety car deployment. The other Renault driver, Fernando Alonso, had previously made an early pitstop, and was promoted to