(Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
The Renault F1 teams title sponsor, Dutch financial group ING, have today announced that they will stop their sponsorship of the team with immediate effect.
ING were to end the deal at the end of the season, but have revised their stance following the "crashgate" saga and have decided to end their relationship now.
This means that Renault will be without a title sponsor for the Singapore Grand Prix, and possibly the end of the season.
This may be yet another straw onto Renault's already weak back.
If Renault fail to find a suitable title sponsor for 2010, it may add to there deliberation over whether to leave the sport or not.
ING began their sponsorship of the team in 2007, just as double world champion Fernando Alonso left the team. He later returned for the 2008 season.
ING are also named title sponsors of several Grand Prix's during the season, including the Australian Grand Prix and the Belgium Grand Prix.
In other Renault news, FOM boss Bernie Ecclestone has said that he feels that ex-Renault team boss Flavio Briatore's lifetime ban for fixing the 2008 Singapore GP was too harsh.
Ecclestone, who sat on the panel that passed judgement and sentence on the Italian team manager, has said that in hindsight he feels that he did not deserve a lifetime ban from any FIA sanctioned events, and that he should appeal the FIA's decision.
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