Monza, Italy  - Lying and cheating: Formula One is in danger of turning into Formula Scandal.

Having only just recovered from one scandal, the sport is being embroiled by another and the actual sporting aspect of Grand Prix racing is being pushed into the shadows.

Currently the so-called Singapore-Scandal involving the Renault team and their former driver Nelson Piquet Jr, who was earlier this year dismissed by the team, is grabbing all the headlines.

Regardless of how the FIA World Motor Sport Council on September 21 in Paris decide, the damage has been done.

The two sides involved in the latest scandal - Flavio Briatore and father and son Piquet - have been adding fuel to the fire with verbal attacks.

Renault principal Briatore described Piquet Jr, whom he dismissed on July 26, as a "spoilt boy with a weak character". He further made insinuations, the nature of which are frowned upon in the macho world of motorsport.

"Nelsinho was living with a gentleman - the nature of their relationship is unknown. His father was very worried about the relationship with a 50-year-old and asked me to take some action," he said.

Briatore and the team are taking action against the Piquets: they have instituted blackmailing charges against them in London and Paris.

Piquet Jr. has also made several hard-hitting statements. The 24- year-old described Briatore as "my executioner". He also said that he would not be intimidated and was co-operating fully and honestly with the sports governing body FIA.

Piquet Jr. has accused his former team of ordering him to instigate a crash during last year's Singapore Grand Prix to bring about a safety-car phase.

In the 14th lap the Brazilian crashed and his team-mate Fernando Alonso, who had earlier been the only one to refuel his car, went on to win the race.

At the time the crash led to many questions and since then it has become - as it is being called in the British media - Crashgate.

The outcome of the hearing in Paris is wide open: In the most extreme case Renault could be given a lengthy suspension and Briatore could be forced to leave the sport.

It could also be that the team's technical director Pat Symonds becomes the sacrificial pawn and that Renault pull out of the sport after the team is found guilty.

Another possibility could be that the team receives a heavy fine.

Piquet Jr. will not be facing any sanctions after having been granted indemnity by FIA president Max Mosley, who also called on people to not to pre-judge the issue.

The Singapore Scandal is another 'lowlight' in the history of Formula One, which is filled with similar scandals.

In the last three years alone, there have been many.

In 2007 there was the spying saga surrounding McLaren-Mercedes, which resulted in the team being excluded from that year's constructors' championship and fined 100 million dollars.

A year later Mosley was embroiled in a sex scandal, while this year there has been the issue involving world champion Lewis Hamilton lying about an incident during a race and an ongoing dispute between FIA and the team association FOTA that nearly led to a split.

While these scandals have been grabbing their fair share of headlines, the sport itself has also been making some waves over the past few years, with the race for the drivers' championship being only decided on the last day of the season.

And this year the season is just as exciting, with four drivers having a realistic chance of taking the title. But all of that is being pushed to the back pages as scandals are ruining the show.  dpa