DataGrange Motorsport

Lewis Hamilton Breezes To Victory Under the Lights on the Island of Singapore.

Racing beneath a glittering and simply stunning night setting, Lewis Hamilton (1 McLaren Mercedes) fends off minor challenges both from Sebastian Vettel (15) and Fernando Alonso (7) and atones for his horrific last lap spin at Monza with a wire-to-wire race victory on the city-state street course.

The FIA Issues the Death Penalty to Renault Principal Flavio Briatore For His Role in the Nelson Piquet 'Crashgate' Affair.

The seamier side of Formula 1 racing emerges as the ‘Crashgate’ scandal unravels before all to behold. According to former Renault driver Nelson Piquet, Jr., miffed over his recent dismissal from the team by principal Flavio Briatore, his crash in the 2008 Singapore GP came as a result of direct orders from the team, who wished to improve the track position and ultimate finish of teammate Fernando Alonso. Alonso won the race in grand fashion and probably did not require any assistance from Piquet, yet the FIA sees bright alert red in Piquet’s allegations and orders an immediate investigation.  Briatore adamantly refutes Piquet’s claims and attributes the same to a disgruntled driver, and the principal at first seems in the clear after a brief Renault investigation, yet the FIA refuses to swallow the story and grants Piquet immunity for his testimony. Renault sees the writing on the wall and reverses course by relieving Briatore of his team responsibilities, yet the FIA, acting as cat’s paws for the embittered Maxwell Mosley and Bernie Ecclestone, draw a bead on the former principal. With both Mosley and Ecclestone getting in their final licks due to their joint wrath over Briatore and his high profile role in the prior FOTA breakaway dispute, the FIA summarily issues an indefinite (read lifetime) ban against Briatore’s participation in the series, including a promise to invalidate any license held by a Formula 1 driver represented by Briatore’s management group. The penalty amounts to a virtual death sentence upon Briatore’s future involvement in his beloved pastime, and the former Benetton executive promises litigation to resolve the messy affair.

Peugeot Takes Two of Three in the Sportscar Triple Crown After Its Rainout Victory at Petit.

In the third meeting of Diesel Wars between the Audi and Peugeot works under inclement conditions, the Germans get the jump at the starting flag and take advantage of their superior handling in the wet to build a commanding lead over the swifter French entries during the early hours. The rain only intensifies within the fifth hour, prompting many shunts around the circuit, and the Peugeots give up considerable ground to the Audis by promptly pitting for grooved tires. Audi inexplicably delays its own stop and ultimately pays the price when even harder rain causes the German lead entry to spin off the circuit, and a subsequent caution condition forces both cars in for grooved wets. Both Peugeots slip past the parked Audis and promote into the race lead as the weather refuses to relent, and Race Control issues a stop condition early in the seventh hour before calling the event two hours’ later. The speedy yet ill handling diesel Peugeots (08 908 HDi FA, Franck Montagny and Stepahane Sarrazin) gleefully embrace the tremendous victory, its second out of three meetings in 2009 over the devastated Audi faction.

Mark Martin (5) Fights Off the Horde And Claims the Honors at the Magic Mile.

A caution condition with eight laps remaining prompts one final restart that leaves both race leader Mark Martin (5 Hendrick Chevrolet) and hard charger Juan Pablo Montoya (42 Target Ganassi Dodge) in a tough scuffle for the win over the closing laps. Martin uses a brilliant outside chop move to slip past Montoya on the Turn 4 exit with two laps remaining, yet the veteran raises some brows among observers after clearly short braking the Colombian in the next curve to forestall the latter’s final lap charge.  A crash moments later hands Martin a heady victory.