Nelson Piquet Jnr was accused of deliberately crashing at which F1 race in 2008 that paved the way for Renault's Fernando Alonso to win?
Nelson Piquet Jr. season. Along with several other drivers, Piquet was linked to a drive with Ferrari as a replacement for the injured Felipe Massa, after stand-in Luca Badoer finished second-to-last at the European Grand Prix. However, Ferrari instead signed Giancarlo Fisichella who Piquet had replaced at Renault in 2008. In August 2009, after Piquet left the Renault F1 team, allegations surfaced that Piquet had deliberately crashed his car at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, to benefit his teammate Fernando Alonso, who went on to win the race. At the time, Piquet characterized the crash as a simple mistake. Later, he recanted, making
Renault Formula One crash controversy time, although FIA president Max Mosley stated the sport could take no action based on "speculation". Fernando Alonso ended the 2008 season fifth in the Drivers Championship with 61 points, while Nelson Piquet Jr. finished in twelfth place, with 19 points. Their collective total earned Renault F1 fourth place in the Constructors Championship. Despite rumours that he was set to leave the team, Renault re-signed Piquet Jr. on a one-year contract for the 2009 season, once again alongside Alonso. By the tenth race of the 2009 season, Piquet Jr. had failed to score any points whereas Alonso had managed 13