Highlights

Brazil will be a fair fight, says Briatore

(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-10-17 08:39

LONDON, Oct 16 - Renault team boss Flavio Briatore has ruled out any dirty tricks marring Sunday's title-deciding Brazilian Grand Prix, whatever else happens on the track.

Renault's Fernando Alonso needs to score just one point at Interlagos to be sure of a second successive Formula One title, even if Ferrari's Michael Schumacher wins the last race of his career before retirement.

Renault are nine points clear of Ferrari in the constructors' standings after a Japanese Grand Prix that sidelined seven-times champion Schumacher with an engine failure.

Alonso is 10 points clear of Schumacher with both drivers having seven wins each this year.

Briatore shrugged off concern about the German's record of colliding with rivals in previous title deciders -- notably with unlucky Briton Damon Hill in 1994 and victorious Canadian Jacques Villeneuve in 1997.

"I believe that Michael is a very professional driver and any accident he is involved in then he loses the championship anyway," Briatore told a news conference in Amsterdam to announce financial giant ING's three-year title sponsorship of the Formula One champions.

"He has a lot to lose and nothing to win by having any accident.

"After that, I believe in the sport people should be fighting fairly and transparently. I really don't have this kind of problem because Michael wants to leave Formula One in the right way," he added.

"I know Michael very well and I don't think there is a problem. It's good for the press talking about that, good for the gossip and the newspapers because people are more interested in Sunday but it will be a normal race.

"I'm sure it will be a fair race with good fighting between Michael and Fernando."

BIG BLUNDER

The lesson of Sunday's MotoGP race in Portugal, with Honda's championship frontrunner Nicky Hayden shunted off by his own team mate Dani Pedrosa as Italian Valentino Rossi swept into the overall lead, had been noted.

"Anything is possible. We saw what happened yesterday with Valentino Rossi," said Briatore of that blunder.

Briatore said Renault would not be taking any risks with Alonso's engine at Interlagos but dismissed any suggestion that the team would adopt a generally cautious approach to the weekend.

A victory for Renault's Italian driver Giancarlo Fisichella in Brazil would be enough to secure both championships, even if Alonso failed to score.

"We go to win the race. It's like in soccer, if you go looking for 0-0 draw then you normally lose the match," Briatore declared.

"The team is strong. I believe for one point we have the drivers' championship and a few more we have the constructors' and if we win the race we have everything," he added. "We go to Brazil to try to win everything."