A Renault F1 team meeting between Nelson Piquet, Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds just hours before last year's Singapore Grand Prix is central to the race-fixing allegations surrounding the team, accoridng to reports.
The sport's governing body is due to convene a World Motor Sport Council tomorrow to hear the allegations, which it has been confirmed were made by Piquet.
Autosport.com sources claim that in evidence submitted to the FIA by Piquet Jr, the Brazilian driver says he was asked by Briatore and Symonds to crash deliberately early in the race so as to help Alonso win.
Piquet says that he agreed to do so because he felt uncomfortable about his situation at the team, with Renault having not renewed his contract for 2009 at that time. Piquet suggests that he only went ahead and caused the accident because he felt he would be rewarded for his actions.
In his evidence, Piquet claims that he was taken aside by Symonds after the first meeting and instructured that he should crash on lap 13 or 14, shortly after Alonso's scheduled first stop, at Turn 17.
The reason this part of the track was singled out was because there were no cranes present there to lift the car away, so any accident would virtually guarantee a safety car.
Piquet's claims have, however, been denied by both Briatore and Symonds in documents that are believed to have been submitted with the FIA.
Although they confirm that the meeting between the three of them took place, both suggest that it was Piquet's own suggestion to cause an accident.
Renault has said it will not comment on the matter officially before the WMSC hearing later this month.
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