Renault gets two-year ban and Flavio Briatore gets banned for life for scandal

The FIA delivered the verdict at the World Motor Sport Council meeting in Paris on Monday, and handed out the punishments to Renault and Briatore. Former Renault technical director Pat Symonds has also been banned, for a period of five years.

Renault will also pay for the FIA's investigation and make a "significant contribution" to the governing body's safety projects. Piquet, however, has been given immunity from punishment for his cooperation with the FIA with the investigations.

The sentence means that should Renault commit a similar breach of regulations within the next two years, they will face permanent exclusion from the championship.

In explaining the sentence given out, the FIA said that "because of the company's contrition and the ousting of conspirators Briatore and Pat Symonds, the body decided to suspend the ban '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."

Briatore’s harsh sentence of a lifetime ban was not only due to the "severity of the breach", but also for "continuing to deny his participation in the breach despite all the evidence."

Briatore’s suspension means that he is forbidden from any involvement at all in any FIA-associated events. This extends to his driver management company, as the FIA said that it does "not intend to renew any Superlicense granted to any driver ™ associated ™ with Mr. Briatore" or any of his companies or associates. Current drivers being managed by Briatore include Fernando Alonso, Romain Grosjean, Hekki Kovalainen and Mark Webber.

Renault F1 president Bernard Rey said, "We fully accept the decision of the Council. We apologise unreservedly to the F1 community in relation to this unacceptable behaviour. We will issue further information in the next few days."