What the????=Austrian GP

RE: What the????=Austrian GP

Garry and Rabie,

Reubens could have used radio trouble as an excuse, but he could never say he was hard of hearing. After all, he heard everything that was said when negotiating his new multi million pound contract!

Perhaps it is time to change the rules regarding teams in F1. How about limiting the teams to one car each and encouraging more manufacturers to take part? Or make it a single manufacturer formula, like Formula Vauxhall of a few years ago. Then each team has identical cars and powerplants and perhaps we could then find out who is the BEST driver.

Regards,

kev35

RE: What the????=Austrian GP

dam !!!

taht what i would have said

“can you pull over”

“did some one say somehing ???”

“PULL over!!!”

“im hearing some sort of funny noise …… ohh look i’ve won”

rabie :9

RE: What the????=Austrian GP

Perhaps he should have pretended to have radio trouble….

I reckon anyone who had lots of money on shumaker(spelling) will be quite happy…

Funny really… match fixing is normally considered bad in most sports…. perhaps getting rid of the “team” aspect of motor racing might be a solution?

RE: What the????=Austrian GP

Barichello is to blame!!……Stirling moss said after the incident that if it was him he would have told the management to stuff it, by accepting team orders. This is just another example of Rubens displaying his poor competitive streak and the inability to say NO to Ross brawn and jean todt!!. Rubens must be mad to have signed for a F1 team, which demonstrates they show no respect or pride in both their drivers.

RE: What the????=Austrian GP

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 14-05-02 AT 12:25 PM (GMT)]Hi Kev,

I too have heard that the Ferrari team had been summoned by the FIA following the controversial team decision to allow MS through. Apparently an article in the official F1 rules forbids pilots and/or teams to do anything which is detrimental to the sport. Quite a vague wording, but I reckon Sunday’s race conclusion falls within that description.

I saw the race in France and one of the French commentator, feeling the decision might have come from Jean Todt, said this “made him ashamed to be French”. It would really make the championship title meaningless, were MS to win it by a handful of points. It also raises question marks about the mindset of the whole Ferrari team, namely what real chances has RB got? Is he there to make up the numbers and will he only get a fair crack at it provided Michael’s car is in top shape? In other words, MS comes first (in more senses than one) and RB will never be treated on an equal footing.

A sports journalist has wondered whether, should MS lead in the last lap of the Monaco GP followed by RB, the German driver would slow down to let his teammate claim victory. It would be a nice gesture, but I fear an equally dissatisfying one.
Far better they should fight it out openly.

But where is F1 racing heading to if the only outcome to bet on is “who will come second behind MS”? What with the Austrian GP and the hugely perplexing lack of consistency in the appliance of sanctions in the MS/JPM clashes early on in the season, the dice seem a little loaded.

If the Tiffosi can turn their backs on Ferrari after this unsporting decision, it is not difficult to imagine fans deserting the sport in their droves if the suspense is totally taken out of the equation…

RE: What the????=Austrian GP

Pathetic – is the only word that comes to mind.

Michael a Sportsman !!!! – my left foot – ask Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve about his sportman like qualities.

I’m off F1 now for sure, especially with my team Mclaren doing so badly.

RE: What the????=Austrian GP

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 13-05-02 AT 07:44 PM (GMT)]Snowman,

I agree that Ferrari have done immense damage to the sport by taking this action and, if it does come down to Michael winning the championship by just 4 points (which I doubt) it would definitely have robbed another driver of the title.

If Ferrari’s domination of the sport continues in this fashion I think there might be calls for changes to the rules and specification of the cars to try and bring the top teams at least back in to competition.

And just to compound the ludicrousness of the whole situation I just heard on the news that the FIA are now looking at punishing Michael Schumacher for giving the trophy to Reubens. This punishment could take the form of a fine, or, wait for it, a deduction of points!

Regards,

kev35

RE: What the????=Austrian GP

I couldn’t beleive my eyes when Barrichello slowed down to let MS through in the last straight. The victory is nothing short of a travesty. I believe that if MS felt the victory should be RB, then he too should have slowed down and let RB win, or even refuse this decision. The gesture on the podium might have been genuine or not, but the fact is that RB was robbed of his second F1 victory. He showed he was stronger than MS during this particular race, where they had the same chances (same car, unlike Brazil, no mechanical failures…).
I can’t say that MS’s “victory” is deserved. It’s not done his reputation any good.
I also agree with Kev that Ferrari’s current domination of F1 is very unhealthy for the sport. What happened to the much vaunted BMW power advantage? I support Juan Pablo Montoya because he has brought a breath of fresh air on the scene, but I despair at the huge gap between the Prancing Horse cars and the Williams team.

And hopefully, there won’t be any lasting damage to Sato whose crash was truly horrific.

RE: What the????=Austrian GP

I think Reubens said it all at the press conference. He’s just signed a new 2 year contract with Ferrari worth millions of pounds and he obviously feels a certain amount of loyalty needed to be shown to the team. This contract lasts until just short of his 33rd birthday and will probably be his last contract with a major front running team.

I’m not altogether convinced that Michael was aware that team orders had been imposed, and if so, why were they not imposed earlier? The ITV commentary noted that a written message was passed from Jean Todt to Ross Brawn just a couple of laps before the end. Could this have been a message from even higher, maybe even Luca Montezemolo?

Having said all that, the final points awarded have made little or no difference to the drivers championship, Michael being just 4 points better off than if he had come second, and absolutely no difference to the constructors championship. Therefore I see no reason why this tactic was adopted. I could understand if it was later in the championship but not this early in the season.

As for the gestures by Michael at the end of the race, I think he seemed embarassed at the reaction of the crowd and I believe his congratulatory attitude towards Reubens was genuine and sincere. I certainly think both Michael and Reubens will have something to say to the management at Ferrari.

Another comment by Michael in the press conference was that he hoped the championship was won early so that Reubens could win some races, or words to that effect. This seems to indicate that Ferrari’s aim for this season is to win the constructors championship and ensure a 5th title for Michael.

A final comment about the team orders situation is that if some of the other teams were more competitive and could get in amongst the Ferrari’s the problem of team orders and when to impose them may no longer arise.

Finally, I think we should all breathe a heartfelt sigh of relief that no serious injuries resulted from the horrific accident between the Sauber and the Jordan. Let’s hope both drivers are fit for Monaco.

Regards,

kev35

RE: What the????=Austrian GP

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 12-05-02 AT 04:55 PM (GMT)]Didn’t stop him obeying team orders and charging into first place, though, did it? }>
(Okay, so he apparently feels bad about the finish now, but still…)
The question the world is asking: would a Ferrari 1-2 with Barrichello in first have hurt the team so badly? It’s not as if anybody’s seriously challenging Schumacher’s championship position. Yet. It’s not as if it’s near the end of the season, either.

Not many happy campers at this “Have Your Say” session: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport/hi/english/sports_talk/newsid_1981000/19818…