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Former F1 world champion Damon Hill has hit out at the FIA for 'letting off' Renault in the race-fix scandal - but says he expected the punishment to be lenient.

"I'm not surprised they've let Renault off," Hill, who drove a Renault-powered Williams F1 car to teh world title in 1996 told the Times newspaper. "It's a crying shame for the sport.

"You have to put this in the context of inconsistencies in the way in which the FIA has treated breaches of the regulations over the years a...Read the full article

Presumably, if they ban the team from racing, and the others resign (BMW, Honda) then there won't be anyone left.

Well said Damon. You've had the balls to say the name and pin the blame that most reports, commentaries see fit to omit in this whole ongoing F1 disgrace : 'Bernie'.

You say it as it is. F1 is a dubious entertainment at best, not a sport. Ecclestone is the svengali ringmaster to the whole show, who like a Russian doll has layer upon layer outside of him, by way of Mosley, Briatore, Whiting etc. who protect the evil magician in the centre from being exposed and fingered for his dastardly deeds. Too bad Ecclestone, the layers are almost gone and most everyone can now see the sleazy, corrupt, low-rent but exorbitant and extorting price of the supposed greatest show on earth, you have hereto put on, to the befuddled punters. Bernie and F1, just a hopped up, ultra-expensive version of a street 'chase the lady' card scammer.

danny bahr:

Well said Damon. You've had the balls to say the name and pin the blame that most reports, commentaries see fit to omit in this whole ongoing F1 disgrace : 'Bernie'.

You say it as it is. F1 is a dubious entertainment at best, not a sport. Ecclestone is the svengali ringmaster to the whole show, who like a Russian doll has layer upon layer outside of him, by way of Mosley, Briatore, Whiting etc. who protect the evil magician in the centre from being exposed and fingered for his dastardly deeds. Too bad Ecclestone, the layers are almost gone and most everyone can now see the sleazy, corrupt, low-rent but exorbitant and extorting price of the supposed greatest show on earth, you have hereto put on, to the befuddled punters. Bernie and F1, just a hopped up, ultra-expensive version of a street 'chase the lady' card scammer.

Agree entirely. And an emphatic yes - they did get away too lightly!

Hill is correct, fair enough.

However;

Would he be chopping off though, as president of the BRDC, if Silverstone was going to be hosting the British round of the FIA Formula One world championship in the future?

Nah.

Another spineless dullard who, if you believe what you read, was less than happy at his treatment at the hands of Renault in his championship year. He's just another player in the game. How convenient that the two things that have proved bothersome in his past come together in one easy target.

 

I personally believe Symonds and Briatore both got away far too lightly, as their actions and the actions of Piquet could have resulted in multiple injuries or even deaths.

 

I am honestly also of the opinion that the punishment handed out to Renault is about OK as they were the organ and not the organ grinders, so to speak.  Yes Renault as a company benefit from good publicity but they actually had no hand in the actions their team principals in Singapore.

 

It has been reported elsewhere that there is a possibility that both Symonds and Biatore could be deported to Singapore and tried for their combined crimes and this is what I sincerely hope will happen and whilst doing that, include the spineless and obedient Piquet as well.

dillonsamben:

I am honestly also of the opinion that the punishment handed out to Renault is about OK as they were the organ and not the organ grinders, so to speak.  Yes Renault as a company benefit from good publicity but they actually had no hand in the actions their team principals in Singapore.

 This is not quite true though is it? Renault F1 is owned by Renault, and therefore part of Renault. So if their two most senior execs (I would have thought that Flav at the very least would be a board sanctioned appointment) colluded to fix a race, then surely Renault  should be deemed culpable. The fact that they acted after the event and got rid of Flav and Symonds does not materially change anything and really should not mitigate against it.

plumiestparts:

Another spineless dullard

 

If you're going to make ridiculous comments like that then you've no place on this forum. Go back to pist'n'broke, or wherever you came.  You couldn't hope to be a bigger person than Damon Hill even if you stood on his shoulders.

golfman:

plumiestparts:

Another spineless dullard

 

If you're going to make ridiculous comments like that then you've no place on this forum. Go back to pist'n'broke, or wherever you came.  You couldn't hope to be a bigger person than Damon Hill even if you stood on his shoulders.

Oh dear, were you one of those ripped off fools who stood at Copse Corner or wherever for years cheering our 'Nige' or 'Damon' on and won't hear a word against them? I stood there too.

The fact of the matter is I'm correct. He wouldn't have said a word unless the race was off elsewhere and that's the end of his credibility in this matter.

And yours.

Yes, I was one of those supporters, however, my favourite driver was Prost, so no 'our Damon' about it sonny.  What I was getting at was that yours was a silly comment about a man who would stand head and shoulders over you if he was down a mine.  He's one of Britain's true gents, and never used to respond to all the silly comments that used to come from Schumacher and Ecclestone.  He proved what he could do with the Williams when all Coulthard could do with it was come in fifth, even though they had identical cars.  However, none of that is appropriate.  My point was that calling someone like him words like that just shows your pathetic level of reasoning, and you should retract it on second thought.  What he stated was the behind-the-scenes power-play now that Ecclestone is coming undone.  There's an enormous (and I do mean an enormous) amount of money for someone who plays it canny, and Damon Hill and others know that.  There are massive politics that go on within the FIA, which included no doubt a plan to oust Dennis at McLaren (can't actually say too much), and Damon was voicing what others are thinking.  Grow up, plumiest, or at least try to think about the words you use before you type again.  If you don't have the mental capacity to think then clear off.

And don't expect a reply if you cannot retract.  You're not worth my time.

I'll retract nothing and I'm sorry you've wasted your time making two personal attacks on me for an opinion but the FACT is he never said boo to a goose when the race was at Silverstone, so regardless of how good a miner he might be, he never had the courage of his convictions to speak up. Why is that?

Now then, I based my comments on the fact that he he had issues with both the F1 circus and Renault, you've done nothing to dispute those facts and launched into an emotional diatribe with a number of rather rude and wide of the mark jibes, who has the 'pathetic level of reasoning' now?

Do you still have your 'Damon' cap?

Hahahaha.