Renault disqualification would make Rosberg F1 winner

UPDATE Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso shrugged off allegations of Renault race-fixing on Saturday when he was welcomed by between 100,000 and 150,000 people in his hometown of Oviedo.

“You never imagine that one day you will be here, before everyone you know, driving a Formula One car. Today that day has arrived and it’s something I’ll never forget," said Alonso who gave a demonstration drive in his Renault on a specially-constructed temporary track.

09/06/09 (GMM) If winner Fernando Alonso is disqualified from the 2008 Singapore grand prix, Nico Rosberg will retrospectively record his first formula one victory.

To the Berliner Zeitung newspaper in Germany, the Williams driver – who like Alonso also benefitted from the safety car shake-up prompted by Nelson Piquet's crash and finished second – revealed that "there were rumors" about the incident at the time.

"But what I personally think now is, 'Cool!', because it means I can win my first race. Everything is possible," said the 24-year-old.

The FIA's World Motor Sport Council will probe Piquet's controversial crash, and Renault's alleged involvement in a conspiracy, at a hearing in Paris on 21 September.

"It (the World Council summons) doesn't mean Renault are guilty," F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone, a close personal friend as well as business partner of Renault boss Flavio Briatore, is quoted as saying by the News of the World in Britain.

Immediately after the Singapore race last year, Briatore blamed Rubens Barrichello, who then drove a Honda, rather than Piquet for triggering the safety car.

"It was Barrichello," the Italian said in an interview with Speed TV. "The safety car was out for Barrichello."

Also making interesting retrospective reading at present is Piquet's media statement in the wake of his recent ousting by the French team.

The Brazilian has made no comment on the saga since the Singapore '08 claims came to light, but he said last month that "strange situations" had occurred during his Renault tenure.

"There are incidents that I can hardly believe occurred myself. After the opening part of the season, some strange situations began to happen," said Piquet.

It is rumored that, around the time of Piquet's crash, he was asking over the car-to-pit radio what lap he was on.