The hearing into charges that Renault conspired to fix last year's Singapore Grand Prix has finished in Paris at the headquarters of governing body the FIA.
Renault are accused of asking driver Nelson Piquet Jr to crash to help team-mate Fernando Alonso win the race.
Team boss Flavio Briatore and engineering director Pat Symonds left the team last week after Renault decided not to contest the charges.
The FIA has a number of charges open to them including banning the team.
However, it is thought more likely Renault will be issued with a heavy fine or suspended ban.
F1 commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone said on his way into the hearing: "What they did was very serious. There can be no excuses but they have acted quickly to get rid of the culprits and that must be borne in mind."
Piquet and Alonso have arrived at the hearing at the FIA's headquarters. Neither they nor Renault representatives Bernard Rey, the company's F1 president, and communications director Jean-Francois Caubet spoke to the media.
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner believes banning Renault would be inflict major damage on Formula 1.
Piquet's crash in Singapore
"For F1, it would be disastrous to lose a team and, in our case, an engine supplier," Horner told BBC Sport.
The hearing will attempt to attribute responsibility for the Singapore "crash-gate" despite the departure of team boss Flavio Briatore and engineering director Pat Symonds.
Piquet said in evidence to the FIA that Briatore and Symonds had proposed the idea that he crash deliberately.
"The FIA has all the information to hand. I'm sure they'll act responsibly," Horner added.
"Renault have been a very strong engine supplier to Red Bull for the last three years. Hopefully a sensible solution can be found.
"It would be a great shame to lose Renault from F1 because of an unfortunate incident such as this one."
Two major car manufacturers have pulled out of F1 in the last nine months, with Honda quitting last December and BMW announcing in July they would stop at the end of the year.
There have long been rumours that both Renault and Toyota could follow them out of the sport.
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Toyota has said it will not sign off its 2010 F1 budget until November and while Briatore shrugged off doubts about Renault's future, the Singapore scandal has revived them.
If Renault and Toyota pulled out, the only two car companies left in F1 would be Mercedes and Fiat through its Ferrari brand.
As the car companies supply engines to the entire grid this year, that could be a major problem, notwithstanding the return of privateer engine company Cosworth next season as supplier to the new teams Lotus, US F1, Campos and Manor.
Horner added he shared the widespread sense of shock at the Singapore incident.
"Obviously it is shocking. For any driver to deliberately crash a car is a shocking thing to do. It beggars belief, really."
The FIA agreed not to pursue action against Piquet for his role in uncovering the details of the scandal.
Leaked documents suggest the FIA's investigation into the incident found no evidence that Alonso knew of the alleged plan.
Renault have a case to answer - Mosley
Having already pitted in the race, the timing of the safety car - necessary while Piquet's wrecked car was removed from the track - was critical to Alonso's victory in Singapore.
BBC Sport commentator Martin Brundle, writing in the Sunday Times, urged Renault to "go in with their hands up, admitting guilt".
"They must also demonstrate that they will install a new team principal of perceived integrity," added Brundle.
"I foresee a sizeable fine for the FIA coffers and a points penalty that will pain the team into next year in regard to revenue and pit lane position."
Former world rally champion Ari Vatanen, who is battling to succeed Max Mosley as the next FIA president, told BBC Radio 5 live's Sportsweek programme Renault should not be thrown out of the sport.
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Vatanen believes there are too many vested interests in the world council and that punishing Renault by expulsion would be "disproportionate."
He said: "Renault has got more or less their punishment in terms of image and having lost their top brass and we have to see the bigger context here.
"Don't just focus on this incident and look at what we can do about the FIA and about the sport.
"If Renault is thrown out it wouldn't have been a result of an independent justice. That's what we must get right - an absolutely independent justice otherwise people will always have a question. What was behind it?"
The FIA's decision will be reached in the same week that Formula 1 returns to Singapore for this season's race, with first practice due to begin at 1100 BST on Friday, 25 September.
2 comments:
Very thoughtfull post on belief .It should be very much helpfull.
Thanks,
Karim - Creating Power
Thanks Karim although i don't understand why you posted two very similar posts three days apart on the same article! I'm glad you read it and came back to look again!
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