Mansell in shock over Singapore allegations

An extraordinary meeting of the World Motor Sport Council has been called for September 21 at the FIA's headquarters in Paris where an incident during last season's Singapore Grand Prix will be scrutinised. Renault must answer charges that they conspired with former driver Nelson Piquet to cause a deliberate crash. Fernando Alonso subsequently went on to claim an improbable victory for the Anglo-French marque.

Mansell, who won his only world title in a Renault-powered Williams in 1992, is "staggered by the allegations", adding: "I have no comment on whether it's true or not, but I was as stunned as every other F1 fan when I heard."

He added: "From a driver's point of view, it is mind-boggling stuff. I can't compute the idea that a driver could have been asked by a team to deliberately crash.

"Everyone in the sport knows how dangerous it can be, and to deliberately put yourself at that risk, I find it hard to believe. But let's see. We are all in the dark at the moment, and we can only wait and see."

On Thursday, Alonso categorically denied involvement in the incident.

The Spaniard went into the race carrying far less fuel than Piquet at a circuit where overtaking is difficult. Alonso pitted on lap 12, with Piquet crashing two laps later. The accident happened on a part of the track where no crane was on hand, forcing the safety car into play.

The double world champion ultimately inherited the lead later in the race before going on to take the chequered flag.

But asked specifically if he knew of what transpired on September 28 last year, Alonso issued a firm and unequivocal "no".

Then questioned whether he wanted to be involved in a sport at the mercy of potential fixing, Alonso stated "of course (not)".