The opening practice session of the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend saw Mark Webber set the pace in his Red Bull Renault, four-tenths clear of the field. The 90-minute session was somewhat compromised by a light rain shower but Webber was able to move to the head of the timesheets late in the session to record a best lap of 1:12.463s.

Buemi and Button battled for the top spot for the majority of Practice 2, while Fernando Alonso top the top honor away in the closing moments of the session. The entire field, sans Fisichella, was covered by seven tenths of a second which lends one to think that qualifying will be a very close affair.

Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace video preview:

Kimi Raikkonen, although his contract covered the 2010 season, will no longer be a Ferrari driver.

“The Scuderia’s driver line-up next season will therefore be made up of Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso, with Giancarlo Fisichella in the role of reserve driver,” Ferrari’s statement reads.

“Kimi Raikkonen will leave the team at the end of this current season, after what has been a rewarding and fruitful partnership, which saw him win the Drivers’ title in 2007. He also played a key role in Ferrari’s taking of the Constructor’s title that same year and in 2008.”

Ferrari was obviously very keen to bring 28-year-old Spaniard Alonso aboard, as it has long been obvious that both parties hold mutual interest.  ”We are very proud to welcome to our team another winning driver, who has demonstrated his amazing talent by winning two World Championships in his career to date,” said Team principal Stefano Domenicali.

“Of course, we wish to thank Kimi for everything he has done during his time with Ferrari: in his first year with us, he managed to win the Drivers’ title, thus making his contribution to Ferrari’s history and he played a vital role in our taking of the Constructors’ title in 2007 and 2008,” Domenicali continued, also pointing out Raikkonen’s victory in Belgium this year in what is a difficult season for the team.

“With common consent, we have agreed to terminate the contract binding me to Ferrari to the end of 2010, one year ahead of schedule,” said Raikkonen. “I am very sad to be leaving a team with which I have spent three fantastic years, during which time I won plenty of races. Together, we have won 50% of the world titles in that period and I managed to take the Drivers’ title in 2007, thus achieving the target I had set myself at the start of my career.

“I have always felt at home with everyone here and I will have many happy memories of my time with the team,” the 2007 champion concluded.  Raikkonen will complete the three remaining races of the season with Ferrari. It is rumored the Finn may return to McLaren Mercedes.

The announcement of Fernando Alonso’s move to Ferrari should now open the vanes of the drivers’ market, with a cascade effect leading to further driver confirmations from other teams in the coming days and weeks.

photo credit ©DPPI

Renault received a permanent disqualification from the sport, but this is suspended until the end of 2011. Former team boss Flavio Briatore has been banned from FIA-sanctioned events for an unlimited period and Ex-engineering director Pat Symonds has also been excluded for five years.

Managing director Flavio Briatore and executive director of engineering Pat Symonds were both implicated ahead of today’s hearing and had already left the team as the French car giant said they would not contest the charges. Also, the FIA agreed not to pursue action against Piquet in return for his role in uncovering the details of the scandal.

“Furthermore, (the FIA) does not intend to renew any Superlicence granted to any driver who is associated (through a management contract or otherwise) with Mr. Briatore, or any entity or individual associated with Mr. Briatore. In determining that such instructions should be applicable for an unlimited period, the World Motor Sport Council has had regard not only to the severity of the breach in which Mr. Briatore was complicit but also to his actions in continuing to deny his participation in the breach despite all the evidence.”

Briatore’s firm, FFBB, currently manages Heikki Kovalainen and Mark Webber as well as Renault Development Drivers such as Romain Grosjean and Lucas di Grassi.

While Briatore has been banned from the sport indefinitely with Symonds handed a five year ban, Fernando Alonso “was not in any way involved in Renault F1’s breach of the regulations,” and Nelson Piquet Jr. was immune from sanctions after giving evidence to the FIA.

The team issued a statement saying it apologizes unreservedly for its “unacceptable behavior” and hopes to move on. “Renault F1’s breaches not only compromised the integrity of the sport but also endangered the lives of spectators, officials, other competitors and Nelson Piquet Jr. himself,” read a statement from the FIA. “The World Motor Sport Council considers that offences of this severity merit permanent disqualification from the FIA Formula One World Championship.

“However, having regard to the points in mitigation mentioned above and in particular the steps taken by Renault F1 to identify and address the failings within its team and condemn the actions of the individuals involved, the WMSC has decided to suspend Renault F1’s disqualification until the end of the 2011 season. The World Motor Sport Council will only activate this disqualification if Renault F1 is found guilty of a comparable breach during that time.”

photo credit ©WRI2

Yesterday, Renault’s director of engineering, Pat Symonds, was granted immunity in the FIA’s investigation into the incident if he agrees to provide details of the alleged plan.

Now the Times newspaper has published details of the interactions between Symonds, two Renault engineers and crucially, Flavio Briatore, the team principal, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing on behalf of the driver and the team. In the radio communication, Briatore swears repeatedly and says that Piquet is “not a driver” following the now notorious crash, before later asking: “Is Nelson OK?”

“I can tell you now we are not three-stopping,” Symonds is heard to say on the transcript made by the FIA, the sport’s world governing body.

Later Symonds says to an engineer: “Don’t worry about fuel because I’m going to get him (Alonso) out of this traffic earlier than that.”

Piquet says: “What lap are we in, what lap are we in?”

A Renault engineer then reports: “He just asked: ‘What lap are we in?’”

Symonds replies: “Yeah, tell him that he’s about to complete lap eight.”

Symonds insists Piquet is then told something he should know from his pit board, which is shown to him at the end of every lap. “No, just tell him, he is about, he’s just completing, he’s about to complete lap eight.”

Symonds then says: “Right, I’m going to…I think we’re going to stop him just before we catch him (a reference to the Williams driver Kazuki Nakajima, who was ahead of Alonso) and get him out of it, the reason being we’ve still got this worry on the fuel pump. It’s only a couple of laps short. We’re going to be stopping him early and we’re going to go to lap 40.”

An unnamed engineer asks a few minutes later: “Pat, do you still not think that this is a bit too early? We only did six tenths that lap.”

Symonds replies: “No, no it’s going to be all right.”

“OK, OK, understood,” the engineer says.

After Alonso’s pit stop, Symonds says to the engineer: “OK right, you’ve got to push him really bloody hard now. If he (Piquet) doesn’t get past Barrichello, he’s going nowhere, he’s got to get past Barrichello this lap.”

Briatore then gets involved, saying: “Tell him, push.”

Piquet’s race engineer tells his driver: “Nelson, no excuses now, you’ve got to get past Barrichello. You’ve got four clicks straight-line advantage. Come on, you’ve got to push now, you must get past him.”

A short time later, the Times reports, Piquet crashes at turn 17, the place at which the driver claims he was told to crash before the race.

Multiple voices: “Nelson’s off. Fucking hell. Nelson’s had a crash. I would say that would be a red flag. It’s huge (all speaking at the same time).

Piquet: “Sorry guys. I had a little outing.”

Engineer: “Is he all right, Is he all right?”

Symonds: “Ask him if he’s all right.”

Engineer: “Are you OK? Are you OK?”

Engineer: “Fernando’s just gone past it.”

Engineer: “OK, yellow flag.”

Piquet: “Yeah, I hit my head in the back. I think I’m OK.”

Engineer: “OK, understood.”

Symonds: “Right (inaudible), stop him.”

Engineer: “Safety car, safety car, safety car, safety car. Fernando, safety car, mixture three.”

Symonds: “Tell him to be careful, turn 17 I think it is.”

Engineer: “Fucking hell that was a big shunt.”

Briatore: “Fucking hell … my every fucking disgrace, fucking, he’s not a driver.”

Symonds: “What position is Fernando in?”

Engineer: “Well, we were 20, and we’re first guy to pick the safety car up.”

Symonds: “Yeah, we’re not…”

Engineer: “He will get away past it but he’s got to wait.”

“What position we are now in all this?” asks Briatore.

Symonds replies: “To be honest, I don’t know Flavio. It’s got to have been good for Fernando. But I honestly don’t know where he is.”

Several minutes later, they return to the subject of Piquet and the crash. Engineer: “Where is Nelson? Have you seen him?”

Briatore: “Is he OK, Nelson? Is he OK?”

Alonso: “The pit lane is closed until we arrive?”

Engineer: “He climbed out, mate, and ran across the track.”

Engineer: “Yeah, the pit lane is still closed.”

photo credit ©DPPI

photo credit ©DPPI

Position	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Weight (kg)
1	Alonso	Renault	1:21.313	1:20.826	1:21.569	637.5
2	Vettel	Red Bull Racing	1:21.178	1:20.604	1:21.607	655
3	Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:20.964	1:20.358	1:21.741	652
4	Hamilton	McLaren Mercedes	1:20.842	1:20.465	1:21.839	650.5
5	Rosberg	Williams	1:20.793	1:20.862	1:21.890	654
6	Kovalainen	McLaren Mercedes	1:21.659	1:20.807	1:22.095	655.5
7	Raikkonen	Scuderia Ferrari	1:21.500	1:20.647	1:22.468	651.5
8	Button	Brawn GP	1:21.471	1:20.707	1:22.511	664.5
9	Nakajima	Williams	1:21.407	1:20.570	1:22.835	658
10	Massa	Scuderia Ferrari	1:21.420	1:20.823		N/A
11	Buemi	Scuderia Toro Rosso	1:21.571	1:21.002		671.5
12	Trulli	Toyota	1:21.416	1:21.082		671.3
13	Barrichello	Brawn GP	1:21.558	1:21.222		689
14	Glock	Toyota	1:21.584	1:21.242		679.2
15	Piquet	Renault	1:21.278	1:21.389		667.7
16	Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	1:21.738			658
17	Fisichella	Force India	1:21.807			680.5
18	Sutil	Force India	1:21.868			683.5
19	Kubica	BMW Sauber	1:21.901			666
20	Alguersuari	Scuderia Toro Rosso	1:22.359			675.5

photo credit ©DPPI