D-Day for Renault

Allegations: Piquet

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Renault's future in Formula One will be decided on Monday when the FIA rules on allegations of race-fixing levelled against the team.

The French manufacturer has said it will not contest charges that team bosses ordered Nelson Piquet Jr. to crash in last year's Singapore Grand Prix in order to help team-mate Fernando Alonso.

Having started 15th on the grid, Alonso benefited from a safety car period that followed Piquet's crash and went on to win the race.

Renault, who won back-to-back titles with Alonso in 2005 and 2006, could be permanently excluded from the world championship at the meeting of the FIA's World Motor Sport Council in Paris.

However, a heavy fine and/or suspended ban looks the more likely punishment despite the unprecedented accusations.

Even that might hasten Renault's departure from the sport behind both Honda and BMW - all three manufacturers having suffered a sharp drop in sales due to the recession.

Team principal Flavio Briatore and executive director of engineering Pat Symonds left their posts last week and will likely not attend the hearing.

Denial

Piquet has been offered immunity from prosecution, while Alonso has denied all knowledge of the alleged plot.

The double world champion might not be completely off the hook, however, with Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper reporting that he has been sent a late summons to attend the hearing.

Neither a Renault team spokeswoman nor the governing body has confirmed who will be present.

Alonso, who is widely expected to join Ferrari next year, gave evidence to FIA investigators at last month's Belgian Grand Prix.

The FIA has a difficult decision to make, given such precedents as the McLaren/Ferrari 'Spygate' scandal of 2007 and the decision of Toyota's rally team to run an illegal car in 1995.

McLaren were fined a record $100 million for possessing Ferrari documents while Toyota were banned from the World Rally Championship for a year when their car was discovered to have an illegal turbo restrictor.

Michael Schumacher had his points stripped for the 1997 drivers' championship after he unsuccessfully attempted to take title rival Jacques Villeneuve out of the final race of the season.

Meanwhile, having deliberately blocked the track to prevent Alonso stealing pole position from him at the 2006 Monaco Grand Prix, the seven-times world champion was simply sent to the back of the grid.

Unprecedented

The allegations appear unprecedented, not just because they centre on an attempt to deliberately affect the outcome of a race but also because the shunt could have had much more serious immediate consequences.

Even so, three-times world champion Ayrton Senna received no sanction for his pre-meditated 170+mph collision with title rival Alain Prost at the 1990 Japanese Grand Prix - one that secured his second title.

According to retired three-times world champion Niki Lauda: "The McLaren spying scandal two years ago was extremely serious but mechanics have always discussed technical data among themselves.

"This, though, is new. The biggest damage ever. Now the FIA must punish Renault heavily to restore credibility in the sport."