To be fair, I think the season so far has been fairly entertaining, and once or twice even exciting ... something like this happens in F1 almost every season.

However, if this was to have been committed by any other team than Ferrari they would have lost their race position, been fined and carried a grid penalty into the next race at least.

 

There are 2 issues here:

1) Whether a team should operate on the track as a team i.e. give the best chances to the best driver at that particular opportunity. We saw this with Red Bull and Wing-gate the otehr week and then we see Ferrari change their drivers around. The former is off the track, so therefore it is a team move and a team based decision that does not affect the racing per se, just favours one driver rather than anotehr whilst the drivers sort it out for themselves.

The latter is again the same principle but just done on the track.

2) However the rules are clear - this was cheating, Ferrari are not contesting the fine (probably cost them more in man / legal hours probably) and therefore are laughing. This was against the rules and should be blocked, the 2 cars should be disqualified.

I'm no football fan, but if you cheat in football (a really bad foul for example) and it's blatant and you've been caught, red card, and you're off to the showers. Likewise, F1 should man up and state that the results are false. Look at the issues McLaren got into for the dossier on Ferrari, or Renault and the crash (Hmmm, Alonso,......hmmm) and the results there.

IOf Jo cheated at the Cat 7 races I'd expect her to be banned or have her result for that race thrown out at least. Why is F1 so weak at dishing out penalties?

 

‘We are committed to a Ferrari world championship victory in 2010,’ said a spokesman. Unfortunately, that spokesman was FIA president Jean Toad.

 

Here, have a rofl

 

You'd think that, but Ferrari clearly do care where their individual drivers finish.

What i don't understand is why Ferrari manipulated the position so blatantly.

It would have been much more discrete to put massa onto a slower engine map so that alonso caught massa and then put his engine power back up when Teflonso was past so that he could defend against Vettel.

But they didn't do that for some reason and now we have all this furore.

 

Either Rob Smedley blew their lame cover

or

They knew they'd be fined but considered it was worth it

or

They took this provocative decision to deliberately stir up the debate on the rule over team orders

Hard to imagine they ever seriously thought they'd get away with it ...

 

I switched off the TV as soon as Alonso overtook Massa!!

 

It really is like throwing a game.
What about all the punters that had put a bet on Massa to win yesterday?
I dont know what the odds were on Massa but I bet they were atleast 6-1 plus so potentially a good return.
I agree that teams have to play the whole team game but if thats the case allow team orders so the public know what they are watching.

 

How many Brazilian sponsors are tehre on the side of the car, and do they bring in as much as the soon to be title sponsor Santander? I think I've just found your reason.

Oh, that and they couldn't stand listening to any more whinging from the spoiled brat that is Alonso.

 

[QUOTE=PaulF,Jul 26 2010, 10:32 AM] How many Brazilian sponsors are tehre on the side of the car, and do they bring in as much as the soon to be title sponsor Santander? I think I've just found your reason.