A quick roundup of the news in Formula One today:
First off, there's the mess that is Renault. FIA announced it would call team representatives before the World Motor Sport Council on Monday in Paris to answer charges that the team conspired with former driver Nelson Piquet to cause a deliberate crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. Said crash resulted in the deployment of the safety car -- to the advantage of teammate Fernando Alonso, who went on to win that race.
Renault moved quickly, dismissing Managing Director Flavio Briatore and Executive Director of Engineering Pat Symonds. The team issued this statement on its web site: "The ING Renault F1 Team will not dispute the recent allegations made by the FIA concerning the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix."
The UK-based Times has published a piece with some of the radio traffic from the day of the race, and it does little to exonerate Renault. Notably, there's considerable conversation between Symonds and Piquet reconfirming lap numbers; plus, Symonds orders an unusually early pit for Alonso.
IL News: Scandal in Formula 1 as Renault Won't Contest Race-Fixing Charges and Team Heads Quit
More on Lotus and BMW after the jump.
Photo source: ING Renault F1
After a 15-year absence, Lotus will return to F1 for the 2010 season, thanks to a partnership with the Malaysian government and some Malaysian entrepreneurs. The company name is 1Malaysia F1 Team Sdn Bhd, but the team name will be Lotus F1. Team principal is Tony Fernandes, owner of Air Asia. Mike Gascoyne, a 20-year F1 veteran of the Force India, Toyota, Renault and Jordan F1 teams, will serve as technical director. The team is expected to announce its drivers next month.
We've known since July that BMW will be quit Formula One after the 2009 season. Today, the BMW Sauber team announced that it has found a buyer: Qadbak Investments, a Swiss-based group representing Middle Eastern interests. The contract was signed yesterday.
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