Sometimes it seems that F1 cannot go five minutes without some sort of scandal running in the background. Just when we thought it was safe to go back in the water, the Brazilian press reports Piquet Jr's allegation that he was ordered to crash in Singapore last year to help Alonso to the victory. Suddenly we remember the conspiracy theories that arose at the time and begin to wonder whether such a crazy scenario might actually be true.
Nelsinho Piquet
The sensible attitude would be to regard the story as sour grapes from Nelsinho, just as David Coulthard does. But it seems there may be more to it than meets the eye. According to The Independent newspaper, "a source within the governing body" has said that there are other issues concerning the Renault team that will also be investigated.
Terrible memories are stirred of how the Ferrari documents scandal began as a minor report of sabotage by a disgruntled Ferrari employee, only to escalate into a monumental affair that destroyed the reputation of F1 and many of its participants, perhaps permanently. Recalling how the FIA seemed determined to air the sport's dirty linen in the most dramatic way possible (but somehow reluctant to admit its own faults and failings), I begin to wonder whether the idea is to keep F1 constantly in the public eye.
All publicity is good publicity, they say, and many are the occasions when we have half-jokingly surmised that the diminutive impresario, Bernie Ecclestone, is behind it all. While I try hard not to believe in every conspiracy theory that comes along, the steady feed of scandal that keeps the attention of the press upon F1 is beginning to make even me wonder if this is all deliberate.
Is not the racing itself sufficient to hold the attention of those who really matter, the fans? Can the sport not exist without lurid stories in the gutter press? And does the FIA really have to make such a fuss about everything that comes along? The huge kerfuffle over a few fibs told by Hamilton and a McLaren team manager earlier this year is just one example of how things are blown out of proportion, apparently at every opportunity.
If only the sport and its governing body would realize how unimportant it is in the greater scheme of things. It is still guys racing each other in cars, that is all. A little humility and discretion would surely put a stop to this eternal round of scandal and outrage.
This latest uproar is supported only by the allegations of one man, after all; nothing has been proven as yet. I see no reason why the FIA should not quietly find out the truth of the matter before announcing an investigation and allowing leaks about other indiscretions.
Whether the story is true or not hardly matters now anyway. The results of the Singapore GP are ancient history and it would serve no purpose to change them at this stage. If there were indeed any nefarious deeds behind Alonso's win, he and his team are punished already by their knowledge that it was a victory achieved by cheating, a fact that must forever diminish its value in their eyes.
Sometimes it is better just to shrug and move on. And was not that exactly how we all handled Norberto Fontana's allegations of race fixing by Ferrari? It is done and dusted, gone forever, and we do nothing but harm by digging around in the dirt.