Renault baddies

Well there you go. What did I say? Renault got off very lightly indeed with a 2 year suspended ban, and no fine. Briatore deservedly got banned indefinitely from any involvement in an FIA sanctioned motorsport event (including driver management). The radio this morning was saying he was banned "for life", but that's not the same thing as "indefinitely". Indefinitely means: until the FIA changes its mind. I think if they'd wanted to permanently exclude him, they'd have said so directly. They'd never want to back themselves into a corner like that.

I still feel that if it had been McLaren in the same situation, they would have had a very heavy fine as well as the suspended ban, if not an actual one or two year ban. There are reasons for this approach though: Renault are an engine supplier, as well as one of the few manufacturers still in F1, so banning them wasn't an option; banning the likes of McLaren, on the other hand, as an engine customer, would have caused less upheaval. File under 'Conspiracy theory' ;-)