Courtesy of another perfectly timed leak it is being claimed that Renault's director of engineering, Pat Symonds, has been offered immunity from prosecution if he reveals exactly what happened in Singapore last year.

If true, and Symonds has been given immunity, it would appear, what with Nelson Piquet Jnr having been offered a similar deal, that team boss Flavio Briatore is being set up for the kill at next week's extraordinary meeting of the World Motor Sport Council. The move, a classic case of divide and conquer has all the hallmarks of the current FIA president.

The decision to give Symonds immunity follows Piquet's claim that it was the Englishman and Briatore who asked the Brazilian to crash. Piquet claims that he was instructed precisely when and where to crash.

Stewards carrying out their investigation at the recent Belgian Grand Prix, having observed Symonds reluctance to answer their questions, and having viewed the relevant telemetry, claim, according to the Times, "it was 'reasonable, on balance' to accept that Piquet's claims have substance".

The Times, which clearly has been given access to numerous relevant documents, claims that when asked what he recalled being said during the meeting with Piquet before the Singapore race, Symonds replied: "I don't really remember." When pressed further and asked if he really doesn't remember, the Englishman said: "No."

Symonds was then asked: "Nelson Piquet Jr says he was asked by you to cause a deliberate crash. Is that true?" To which he replied: "Nelson spoke to me the day before and suggested that. That's all I'd really like to say."

Asked if he was aware that there was going to be a crash on lap 14, Symonds replies: "I don't want to answer that question."

In reference to Piquet's claim that following the meeting with Symonds and Briatore, the Englishman had held an individual meeting with the driver and shown him a map of the circuit, Symonds was asked if he recalled such a meeting. "I won't answer. Rather not answer that. I don't recall it, but it sounds like Nelson's talked a lot more about it."

"Mr Piquet Jr also says that at that meeting, you pointed out a specific place on the circuit where he was to have the accident and said it was because it was the furthest away from any of the safety or lifting equipment, and gave the most likely chance of a safety car being deployed," asked the steward, to which Symonds replied: "I don't... I don't want to answer that question."

In addition to the details of the stewards interviews with Symonds, the Times has also been given access to the transcript of the radio conversations between key Renault personnel during the infamous race. One has to wonder, by whom.