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Piquet hits out at 'executioner' Briatore after Renault sacking
NELSON Piquet delivered a furious parting shot to Renault boss Flavio Briatore on Monday after discovering he was being dropped by the Formula One team.
Piquet described Briatore, his manager as well as the team boss, as his "executioner" after he announced he would no longer be driving for Renault in the 2009 Formula One season.
"I have received notice from the Renault F1 team of its intention to stop me from driving for them in the current F1 season," Brazilian Piquet said in a statement.
"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."
A Renault spokesperson said that the team would respond in due course.
The former Renault test driver finished his first season as race driver with 19 points including a podium in Germany last year.
However, the 24-year-old, the son of triple world champion Nelson Piquet, failed to score a point in 2009 and faced constant speculation over his Renault future.
Piquet said in his statement that in his 2008 debut season, racing alongside teammate and double world champion Fernando Alonso, he was relegated as "someone who drives the other car".
The Brazilian said that circumstances did not improve this season despite promises by Briatore for "at least equal treatment".
"The conditions I have had to deal with during the last two years have been very strange to say the least - there are incidents that I can hardly believe occurred myself," Piquet said.
Debut delayed
Media reports have suggested Renault test driver Romain Grosjean will be promoted as Piquet's replacement but his debut maybe delayed if Renault fails to overturn a suspension imposed on the team for the next race in Valencia on August 23.
Renault was suspended from the race in Spain after a wheel came off Alonso's car and bounced away to the side of the track during the Hungarian Grand Prix on July 26.
Brazilian driver Piquet's statement also outlined hopes of continuing his Formula One career.
"I feel a sense of relief for the end of the worst period of my career, and the possibility that I can now move on and put my career back on the right track and try to recover my reputation of a fast, winning driver," he added.
"Fortunately, I can now say to those people who supported me through my career that I'm back on the good tracks and considering the options for a new start in my F1 career in a fair and positive way."
Piquet described Briatore, his manager as well as the team boss, as his "executioner" after he announced he would no longer be driving for Renault in the 2009 Formula One season.
"I have received notice from the Renault F1 team of its intention to stop me from driving for them in the current F1 season," Brazilian Piquet said in a statement.
"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."
A Renault spokesperson said that the team would respond in due course.
The former Renault test driver finished his first season as race driver with 19 points including a podium in Germany last year.
However, the 24-year-old, the son of triple world champion Nelson Piquet, failed to score a point in 2009 and faced constant speculation over his Renault future.
Piquet said in his statement that in his 2008 debut season, racing alongside teammate and double world champion Fernando Alonso, he was relegated as "someone who drives the other car".
The Brazilian said that circumstances did not improve this season despite promises by Briatore for "at least equal treatment".
"The conditions I have had to deal with during the last two years have been very strange to say the least - there are incidents that I can hardly believe occurred myself," Piquet said.
Debut delayed
Media reports have suggested Renault test driver Romain Grosjean will be promoted as Piquet's replacement but his debut maybe delayed if Renault fails to overturn a suspension imposed on the team for the next race in Valencia on August 23.
Renault was suspended from the race in Spain after a wheel came off Alonso's car and bounced away to the side of the track during the Hungarian Grand Prix on July 26.
Brazilian driver Piquet's statement also outlined hopes of continuing his Formula One career.
"I feel a sense of relief for the end of the worst period of my career, and the possibility that I can now move on and put my career back on the right track and try to recover my reputation of a fast, winning driver," he added.
"Fortunately, I can now say to those people who supported me through my career that I'm back on the good tracks and considering the options for a new start in my F1 career in a fair and positive way."
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