F1 better off without Briatore?

Never liked Briatore, and maybe F1 is better off without him in the paddock sowing discord. He comes across as a bully, and as someone with ideas above his station. He spent half his effort trying to take control of F1 from that wee barrow boy and his "nazi" pal. Hmm ... maybe there was a place for him after all.

Renault will get a nominal fine, so as not to frighten them away. That would be another manufacturer team out, which is to be avoided at all costs ... apparently. We know the manufactures have wrung all they can out of F1 and are leaving, but Renault are one manufacturer that seems committed to F1 (even though the teams 'benefiting' from the use of their engines are not all that impressed). What was said when BMW, Toyota and Renault joined Ferrari as manufacturer teams in our sport, taking over the Garagistas (as Enzo Ferrari disparagingly referred to the private - mostly British - teams), was that they weren't there for the sport, and would only stay for as long as it benefited them. And now BMW and Toyota are going (Toyota will keep denying it until the last second), so the last thing Big Bad Bernie and FOM want is to scare Renault out of the championship by having FIM level a fine at them that's commensurate with their wrongdoings. Nicking designs, bumping into a wall to block the circuit at a hairpin, and team orders are one thing, but Briatore and Symonds could have killed somone. Realistically the punishment should be draconian, in proportion to the offence, and Renault should be excluded from the sport for a year - even if those responsible have left the team. But we know it won't happen.