The World Motor Sport Council now face an agonising decision over what sanction they should impose against Renault.

The Anglo-French manufacturer will hope to have drawn the sting out of any penalty after deciding not to dispute the recent allegations made by the FIA concerning the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.

The fact Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds have left their positions as team principal and executive director of engineering should also carry some weight when the WMSC meet in Paris on Monday.

There is now little for the 26 Council members to debate because in offering no defence, Renault have effectively admitted a charge of conspiring with former driver Nelson Piquet Jnr to cause a crash.

It resulted in the deployment of the safety car to the advantage of Fernando Alonso who went on to win his first race for two years, at a time when Renault were considering quitting the sport.

It is the gravity of what Piquet was asked to do that is likely to weigh heavy on the minds of FIA president Max Mosley, Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone and the remainder of the Council.

Piquet may have feared for his future but he not only put his own life at risk, he also jeopardised the safety of fellow drivers, marshals and spectators.

Speaking last Friday, Mosley noted this incident in his eyes was worse than the McLaren 'spygate' saga when they were found to be in possession of Ferrari technical secrets.

"As for any penalty, if you look at any other sport, if somebody fixes the result then it's usually taken seriously," said Mosley.

"Fixing is one degree worse than cheating, like if you're a cyclist and you take dope, that's cheating.

"If you bribe the other cyclists, or you get somebody to have a crash in the peloton so the yellow jersey guy crashes, that's more serious.

"Then if it puts human life at risk, whether it's the spectators, the marshals or the drivers, then it's more serious again."

Although Renault are not disputing the allegations, and Briatore and Symonds are no longer with the team, it is imperative the WMSC are seen to act.

As for precedents, McLaren were fined a sporting record £50million and stripped of all constructors' points for 2007 over 'spygate', although the fact they were found to be lying worked against them.

Earlier this year, McLaren were handed a three-race suspension in the wake of the 'liegate' saga surrounding Lewis Hamilton and his attempt to deceive the stewards at the Australian Grand Prix.

In mitigation, Hamilton had apologised profusely beforehand, whilst the team also dismissed team manager Dave Ryan as he was complicit in the affair.

Renault will most likely plead for clemency from the WMSC, hoping the actions of two men will not adversely affect the employment of nearly 700 other staff within the team.

Renault's future is a concern for Mosley as he last week remarked: "That's the difficult bit."

One possibility is the Anglo-French manufacturer would have their points deducted for this season, in turn resulting in a financial penalty as they would collect minimal prize money.

As for Renault's long-term future beyond this season, that now lies in the hands of the manufacturer's president and CEO, Carlos Ghosn.