Renault fire F1 driver which triggers infamous Crashgate scandal

On this day 17 years ago, Renault severed ties with Nelson Piquet Jr., a decision that would inadvertently light the fuse on one of Formula 1's most explosive scandals.

The Brazilian, son of three-time F1 drivers' champion Nelson Piquet, had endured a miserable season-and-a-half with the team.

In 2008, he managed 19 points and a single podium finish, second in Germany, but 2009 proved far worse. Across 10 rounds, he failed to score a single point, with a best finish of P10 in Bahrain. It was enough for Renault to pull the plug.

What followed, however, was anything but a quiet departure.

Piquet Jr. unleashed a blistering public statement aimed squarely at his former boss.

"A manager is supposed to encourage you, support you and provide you with opportunities. In my case it was the opposite. Flavio Briatore was my executioner," he said.

He further accused Briatore of intimidation, claiming: "On numerous occasions, fifteen minutes before qualifying and races, my manager and team boss would threaten me, telling me if I didn't get a good result, he had another driver ready to put in my place."

The crash that shook Formula 1

Those were more than the bitter words of a jilted driver. Piquet Jr. and his father subsequently went to the FIA with an extraordinary allegation: that he had been instructed by Briatore and engineering director Pat Symonds to deliberately crash during the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, Formula 1's inaugural night race, in order to trigger a safety car that would benefit team-mate Fernando Alonso's strategy.

The plan had worked. Piquet crashed into the wall at Turn 17 on lap 14, the safety car was deployed, and Alonso, having pitted early, vaulted up the order to win the race from P15 on the grid.

The FIA's investigation confirmed the plot. Renault received a suspended disqualification, Briatore was banned indefinitely from FIA-sanctioned events, and Symonds received a five-year ban.

Alonso was cleared of any involvement. Piquet Jr. was granted immunity in exchange for his testimony.

It remains a stark reminder that the sport's darkest chapter began not with a confession, but with a sacking.