VDrift - Driving the 2008 Renault R28 of Fernando Alonso at Dijon Prenois

The Renault R28 was the 2008 F1 car of Renault, Renault was dominating in the mid 2000s scoring both constructor and drivers title in 2005&2006 with Fernando Alonso, the flop of the team started in 2007 as the car was just running in the midfield and no longer at the front. For 2008 Renault designed a car that was a little bit better but still far away from where they were in 2005&2006, despite the R28 being more competitive that the R27 it wasn't still enough to win a Grand Prix and that is where we came to the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix the race where Flavio Briatore the team principal wanted desesperatly to win a Grand Prix, so he asked to the 2nd Driver Nelson Piquet Jr to crash in the wall in the race to bring out the safety car to make Fernando Alonso winning the race, and if Piquet Jr was applying Briatore's plan he would sign him again for 2009 despite his poor 2008 season, that's exactly what happened Piquet Jr accepted to save his seat for 2009 and Fernando Alonso won that race. Then a year later Piquet Jr really got a very disapointing season as Fernando Alonso scored already 13 points in 10 Grand Prix while Piquet Jr didn't scored any, so then Flavio Briatore fired Piquet Jr and replaced him by Grosjean and that is where the biggest scandal of the history of formula 1 started, Piquet Jr was furious and decided to tell the whole scandal story about the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix where he was forced to crash in the wall to make Alonso win to keep his seat for 2009. The FIA stated that Renault has done that on purpose and Renault got a disqualification that was suspended for two years pending any further comparable rule infringement, and Flavio Briatore the team principal was banned for life of any sanctioned FIA events and Pat Symonds got suspended for 5 years. Flavio Briatore contested the decision and only got a 4 years suspension and in 2024 he returned to the paddocks in the same team now called Alpine where he has the full control of the team and Pat Symonds returned later to the FIA in the early 2020s. Then Felipe Massa appealed the decision to cancel the results of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix because the Ferrari Driver Felipe Massa was fighting for the championship in 2008 and during the cheated safety car caused by the crash on purpose of Nelson Piquet Jr controlled by his team principal Flavio Briatore The Ferrari crews made a mistake and it cost Felipe Massa the 2008 title by 1 point behind Lewis Hamilton. 18 years later the story isn't over as Massa's Legal action is still not over. After explaining the biggest scandal in the history of Formula 1 back to the Renault R28: The Grand Prix just after Singapore Renault won this time a completely legal win with Fernando Alonso in a difficult wet race at Fuji and scored the 2nd win of the season (the first first cheatless win of the season) This was Renault's last win in 2008 but Fernando Alonso got one more podium at the final race at Interlagos (a 2nd place), Renault scored 4̶ 3 podiums in 2008 (a 2nd place for Nelson Piquet Jr at Hockenheim, a 2nd place for Fernando Alonso at interlagos, the cheated win of Singapore 2008 and the Fuji win) Renault got 4th place in the constructor championship in 2008 far behind Ferrari, McLaren and BMW Sauber.