In 2008, there were suspicions within Ferrari that Nelson Piquet intentionally caused a crash during the Singapore Grand Prix. Rob Smedley, Felipe Massa’s former race engineer at Ferrari, has recently disclosed that it became evident during the race what Renault had orchestrated regarding Piquet Jr.’s deliberate crash. This incident, famously known as ‘Crashgate’, continues to generate controversy to this day. At the Marina Bay Circuit in 2008, Renault instructed Piquet to crash intentionally in order to enhance Fernando Alonso’s chances of winning the race. Alonso, who was driving for Renault at the time, ultimately emerged victorious after taking advantage of the Safety Car deployed following Piquet’s accident. The crash itself was highly peculiar, as it occurred at a low-speed corner where even Smedley admitted he wouldn’t expect a crash to happen. Initially, the true nature of the incident was not immediately apparent. However, Ferrari eventually realized, upon reviewing the footage multiple times, that Piquet had deliberately caused the crash.
Smedley expressed his bewilderment at the crash, stating, “I have no idea how someone can crash there. I wouldn’t crash there, and I don’t even exceed 30 mph.” Speaking on The Race podcast, he further added, “Initially, when I watched it live, I thought it was strange. But upon watching the replay for the third time, it became fairly simple to understand what had happened. So, it wasn’t immediately evident what had occurred, nor the subsequent ramifications, repercussions, and the pursuit of justice. However, I don’t think anyone within my close circle at Ferrari or among the people we spoke to in the paddock had any doubts. We all agreed that it was quite clear what had transpired, making it an interesting situation.”
The revelation that Renault had instructed Piquet to crash did not come to light until 2009, meaning that they had manipulated the outcome of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. However, since the FIA prize-giving ceremony had already taken place, the decision was made not to overturn the results of the race. If the results had been invalidated, Felipe Massa would have been crowned the 2008 champion instead of Lewis Hamilton. The reason why Crashgate continues to be extensively discussed today is due to Bernie Ecclestone, the former CEO of Formula 1, admitting last year that he was aware of the incident at the time but chose to remain silent in order to protect the sport. Consequently, Massa has initiated legal action against Formula 1 and the FIA, as Max Mosley, the president of the FIA at that time, was also aware of Renault’s illegal actions.