Now a staple of the F1 calendar, the inaugural edition of the Singapore Grand Prix in 2008 was soaked in controversy, and F1 legend Ross Brawn once recalled the “illogical” move from Fernando Alonso that tipped off the governing bodies suspicions.
The 2008 Singapore Grand Prix is one of the most unforgettable races in F1 history, for all of the wrong reasons. On the orders of Renault team principal Flavio Briatore, Nelson Piquet Jr purposely crashed his R28 at turn 17, blaming his cold tyres for the shunt.
Fernando Alonso ended up taking the lead after the incident was cleared, staying there until the chequered flag fell to conclude the race after 61 laps.
Felipe Massa was the biggest loser out of the ordeal, with his lead being squandered by the safety car. Further issues with his pit stop saw him drop down the order after he left the box with his fuel hose still attached.
Massa lost crucial points to Lewis Hamilton in the 2008 title race due to the incident, and the Brazilian is still arguing his case to this day, with the verdict of his appeal expected next month.
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Ross Brawn said ‘everyone’ in F1 had suspicions of foul play because of Fernando Alonso’s ‘illogical’ pit stop
Following a highly successful tenure with Ferrari at the start of the new millennium, Brawn took a year’s sabbatical before returning to the F1 grid with Honda in 2008.
In his 2016 book Total Competition, in collaboration with Adam Parr, Brawn recalled the incident and highlighted how everyone in the paddock had questions regarding the fact that Piquet’s teammate Alonso was the only driver who benefited from it.
“Everyone wondered about it,” Brawn wrote. “And the reason they wondered was because Alonso made a pit stop, which seemed illogical.
“Alonso came into the pits at a time no one would consider making a pit stop. It didn’t make any sense. Then Piquet crashed because he had made a pit stop before the safety car…
“Nobody wanted to think that was possible. Not to anyone’s knowledge had it happened before. And no one ever conceived it could happen.”
Massa’s race engineer Rob Smedley previously revealed the F1 paddock’s reaction to Piquet’s crash, highlighting the fact that everyone was also stunned at the strange positioning of the Brazilian’s incident on the track.
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Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds were subsequently banned from F1 following an investigation
After Piquet tipped off the Brazilian press about the events surrounding his crash on the Singaporean streets, the FIA opened an investigation into the matter, and the two main culprits, Briatore and Renault engineering chief Pat Symonds, were banned for life from F1.
Brawn theorises on the reasons why the French constructor took such a drastic action in his book, writing, “I have never spoken to Pat Symonds directly about it. He claims that he succumbed under pressure, because Renault were talking about withdrawing, and he was worrying about the future.
“He was presented with this scenario, and he succumbed. I know Pat wouldn’t have done that just for the sake of winning a race. It’s not worth it. So there must have been other circumstances.”
Their lifetime bans were successfully appealed years after the ruling, and both Briatore and Symonds have returned to the F1 paddock in separate stints since.
Symonds currently works for F1’s brand new entry, Cadillac, as they look to be introduced as the sport’s 11th team next season. Briatore returned to the Enstone-based team, now known as Alpine, in May 2024.
After returning as an advisor to the team, Briatore became the de facto team principal in 2025, unable to serve as the official team principal due to the fact that he doesn’t hold the suitable license that F1 requires to be recognised as an employee.