Piquet The Unemployable

Published by Rob Howgate on September 22nd, 2009

It was 1986. I was 13 years old and playing for Woodside U14’s. Captain, centre forward and looking slightly bemused as my coach took me to one side before kick off and told me that whenever I found myself in the penalty area, I should take a dive. That’s right. He wanted me to cheat…

But did I? Of course not. I was an honest so and so and besides I never found myself in or near the penalty area, we weren’t that good…

Fast forward to 2008. To Singapore. And step forward Renault team boss Flavio Briatore, engineering director Pat Symonds and their number 2 driver Nelson Piquet Junior, a driver who was fighting not only to step out of his name sake father’s shadow, a triple World Champion but, due to an abysmal points scoring record, he was also fighting for his own Grand Prix future.

Consequently when he was taken to one side before the Singapore Grand Prix and asked to help Renault win by sacrificing himself, he agreed. He agreed to crash on lap 14 of the night race, two laps after his teammate Alonso had stopped for fuel and tyres. This meant that when the safety car came out while the accident was cleared, Alonso was alone among the front runners in not having to stop for fuel and tyres and thus.. In a position to win the race, which he did.

And yes with the flimsiest of defences you could say Piquet Junior was also young, and yes he felt vulnerable that he might lose his job, but, and possibly the single most shocking thing about this whole scandal, is that a man whose job it was to drive fast cars; safely, was prepared to deliberately crash one, endangering his life and the lives of the drivers and spectators around him.

In fact by his actions in Singapore, he brought shame on himself and his sport…

Whilst Briatore and Symonds have grabbed the headlines though, leaving the team under a guilt ridden cloud last week and punished on Monday with FIA participation bans, unlimited for Briatore and five years for Symonds, and whilst Renault were given a two-year suspended sentence, Nelson Piquet, the man at the centre of the storm, has kept the engine running quietly and faded into the background after being granted immunity in return for information and an opportunity to apologize. In fact, his apology went something like:

“I bitterly regret my actions to follow the orders I was given. I wish every day that I had not done it.”

Which is alright then isn’t it?

Am I taking the moral high ground? Maybe. And no one’s perfect, we all make mistakes. But whether junior and playing for Woodside, or whether amateur or professional, sportsmen do have a choice to make, and a number, drug taking athletes for example, do take the choice to cheat.

Generally no one gets hurt though, apart from the athlete themselves, and no one dies. But when Piquet made the biggest mistake of his working life, some one could have done. And because of that he should never be allowed to race a racing car again. And let’s face it, it’s unlikely someone would employ him to do so…

(Piquet, 24, was dropped by Renault in August after bringing the race-fixing conspiracy to light and prompting an FIA investigation.)

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