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Briatore about Piquet: "f****** disgrace, he's not a driver!"

Flavio Briatore's comments via the radio following Nelsinho Piquet's crash during the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix are all but incriminating, considering the crash-gate scandal the Italian manager is currently involved in. Following some transcripts made public by The Times – of the radio communication in the Renault garage at the time the Brazilian had crashed – Briatore was anything but enthused about Piquet's exit.

F****** hell ... my every f****** disgrace, f******, he's not a driver,” are only a few words used by Briatore to characterize the crash sustained by Piquet in Singapore.

His comments at the time seem quite logical (if we are to be honest), as Piquet crashed out in a section where drivers usually have no problems getting out without any major problems. Also, drivers usually brake in that section, whereas Piquet pressed the acceleration pedal when approaching the corner.

However, amid the latest information leaked from the Renault dossier, it seems Piquet's unexplainable crash is precisely the reason why the FIA is currently investigating the Enstone based team. It is believed the Brazilian driver crashed in a section where cranes were nowhere to be seen, therefore enforcing the safety car deployment. Also, the telemetry data from the Renault car showed the crash was “unusual”, as described by the FIA president Max Mosley.

Here's a few lines from the transcript published by The Times today:

"Multiple voices: Nelson's off. F****** hell. Nelson's had a crash. I would say that would be a red flag. It's huge [all speaking at the same time] .

Piquet: "Sorry guys. I had a little outing."

Engineer: "Is he all right, Is he all right?"

Symonds: "Ask him if he's all right."

Engineer: "Are you OK? Are you OK?"

Engineer: "Fernando's just gone past it."

Engineer: "OK, yellow flag."

Piquet: "Yeah, I hit my head in the back. I think I'm OK."

Engineer: "OK, understood."

Symonds: "Right [inaudible], stop him."

Engineer: "Safety car, safety car, safety car, safety car. Fernando, safety car, mixture three."

Symonds: "Tell him to be careful, turn 17 I think it is."

Engineer: "F****** hell that was a big shunt."

Briatore: "F****** hell ... my every f****** disgrace, f******, he's not a driver."

Symonds: "What position is Fernando in?"

Engineer: "Well, we were 20, and we're first guy to pick the safety car up."

Symonds: "Yeah, we're not ..."

Engineer: "He will get away past it but he's got to wait."

Briatore: "What position we are now in all this?"

Symonds replied: "To be honest, I don't know Flavio. It's got to have been good for Fernando. But I honestly don't know where he is."
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