40 replies to this topic

[Gemini]

http://www.autosport.com/


Ferrari tech boss knew intermediates would not endanger drivers

Ferrari’s technical director Ross Brawn has hit back at comments made by McLaren boss Ron Dennis after he suggested it was irresponsible to fit intermediate tyres to its cars during the Malaysian Grand Prix downpour.

Both Ferraris had already gone off the track, after hitting a mixture of oil from Olivier Panis’s BAR and the beginnings of the torrential rainstorm, before they pitted to change from dry tyres.

Brawn has admitted that the decision to fit intermediates over full wet weather tyres turned Ferrari’s hitherto disastrous race into a stunning one-two finish. Along with the majority of teams, however, McLaren switched to full wet tyres.

After the race Dennis, whose driver David Coulthard led the race during the downpour, said: “The decision to put both drivers on wet tyres was the only responsible option when faced with the severity of the downpour. You can’t play around with drivers’ lives. David told us he was aquaplaning at 60mph behind the Safety Car.” (Click here for full Ron Dennis story)

But Brawn countered those words, however, saying that Ferrari had experience of running intermediates in wet conditions from a recent test session in Italy.

“We tried these tyres at Fiorano last week, and we knew that the intermediate was a very, very good tyre,” said Brawn. “Ron made a comment about Ferrari being irresponsible fitting those tyres. We had the information that they were very good tyres even in fairly deep water. So I think that’s a bit of an unfortunate comment for him to make without the facts or information that was needed.

“We knew there were dry parts of the track and we knew there were wet parts of the track and we knew the tyres were very good in the morning [warm-up] as well. That was what we ran this morning. We knew it was very good and we knew it would go into the dry,” added Brawn.

[Viss1]

Part of the track was wet, part was dry, and the storm looked to be quick-moving. Pretty much the definition of "Intermediate," if you ask me.

[Bruce]

They were the perfect choice - if you knew how long the safety car was going to be out...

[DEVO]

Bruce,

You beat me to it.;)

[Gareth]

On the ITV repeat they showed a breif interview with DC who said something like 'if we had seen the SC was coming out when we changed we would have gone to intermediates' (NOT an exact quote by any means). This seems to contradict Rons version of events.

Gareth

[P1 Pyrsol]

Originally posted by Bruce
They were the perfect choice - if you knew how long the safety car was going to be out...

you and dennis are perfectly matched, your nose as his a@@




sore losers, the entire lot :yawn:

[Bruce]

You're all class, P1

[gray_cat]

Originally posted by Bruce
They were the perfect choice - if you knew how long the safety car was going to be out...

...or if you ever been in tropical places and knew how tropical storm goes, or if you spent some time in testing different tyres on artifficialy flooded tracks, or if you had couple of drivers with the skill and balls, or all of the above...

[P1 Pyrsol]

Originally posted by Bruce
You're all class, P1

and you're a broken record without an original thought

canadians ... ;)

[Blackjack]

It's just another whinge from Ron. Rone tends to whinge anytime Ferrari have the jump on Mclaren. This has not happened a lot in recent years, apart from the excellent race strategies that Ferrari have employed. This time, Ferrari clearly are head and shoulders above Mclaren, and Ron just cannot accept this and has to find an excuse.

[Bruce]

You're all class, P1

(Ooops, sorry, thats hardly an original thought, is it???)

gray-cat - yeah, thats the problem with F1 today - the only drivers with skill and balls driver for Ferrari...

[Lamont]

I like Brawn's response. He basically telling Ron he shouldn't talk out of his bum when he doens't know the real situation.

[Bruce]

Lamont - did Ron actually talk out of his butt? Wow. You have to admit he's man of many talents....

[Mrv]

What a classy fellow Ross is. He has a nice way of saying things not like Uncle Ronny!!!

[Smooth]

If Ron had won just half of the races he claims they would have won in hindsight, they would have won every championship for the last twenty years. If it comes down to a race of strategy, he will get his ass handed to him 4 times out of 5.


I am glad Ross Brawn rarely talks ****......

[gray_cat]

Why do you see this as a problem, Bruce ? Ferrari look good on track and on your pictures too, imagine yourself painting McLaren on the backdrop of giant Coulthard's jaw for the rest of your life

[smarty]

Originally posted by Gemini
http://www.autosport.com/
“We tried these tyres at Fiorano last week, and we knew that the intermediate was a very, very good tyre,” ...

...That was what we ran this morning. We knew it was very good and we knew it would go into the dry,” added Brawn.

This very clever, congrats to Ferrari. If it's true (I'm sure it is), it is strange that none of the other teams tried them before in the wet and knew beforehand how well they are in the rain.

[tifoso]

Smarty,

I think this just goes to show how prepared Ferrari is to put forth the effort to win. They knew they could face quickly moving tropical showers in Malaysia and tested for it.

On the cool down lap there's Schmacher saying that it won't continue to be this easy and they are really going to have to push. He hasn't even parked the car and he's thinking about the next race.

This team is focused.

[Thanassis]

What's this fuss about? To me Ron Dennis is the worst loser in F1! According to RD, when the Macs lose, it is because of the pace car that stayed out too much (or too little, depending on the case), the weather, bad luck, voodoo spells that Ferrari has put over them, or whatever comes in his mind!
On the other hand, Ross Brawn is one of the most quiet men in F1. He NEVER talks **** (Ain't that right, Smooth?), but still he does his jod perfectly!
If you ask me, he shouldn't even bother replying to Dennis.

Ferrari Rules!!!

[Thunder]

Bruce, the indermediate decision is made by ms not Brawn. The tire fiasco was Brawns fault too.

[Lamont]

Originally posted by Bruce
Lamont - did Ron actually talk out of his butt?

Well, the quote I saw was brown and smelly, I just assumed it came out of his butt....

[Bruce]

[RedFever]

Originally posted by Bruce
They were the perfect choice - if you knew how long the safety car was going to be out...

Brucce - the sad thing is that.......Ron Dennis KNEW how long the safety car was staying out!!!!!

Because DC was the leader of the race, FIA delegate Whiting was in discussion between the pace car and Ron Dennis, manager of the team leading the race. Ron asked David about the situation, DC said he had aquaplaning at 60mph. So Ron asked for the pace car to stay out longer...............and that's why he accused Ferrari of being careless in using intermediate.........because he is so pissed with himself for being the single most important factor in Ferrari's victory:lol:

[Lamont]

[Dimo]

Originally posted by Bruce
They were the perfect choice - if you knew how long the safety car was going to be out...

I dunno. DC said he was hydroplaning behind the safety car in full wets. Ferrari either has the car or the drivers (or both) to handle wet conditions better than Mac and most others. If you take DC to his word then the Macs would have been undriveable on intermediates.

[The RedBaron]

Ross Brawn Q&A


“I expect McLaren to catch up fairly quickly.”


Two cars off on the grass, and then two cars stuck in the pits while mechanics fumbled around and tried to find the right tyres. For a while it looked as though the 2001 Malaysian GP would go into the history books as one of the greatest Ferrari cock-ups of all time. And yet, by the end of the afternoon, Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello had not only recovered first and second places but also completely humbled the opposition in the process. And it all resulted from an inspired decision to fit intermediate tyres at that chaotic first pit stop. Once again, Ross Brawn got his sums right and Michael responded. Adam Cooper caught up with the Englishman after the race.

Q: What happened in that terrible first pit stop?

“We got the cars wrong. I saw them spin off and Rubens come back on the track first, then I saw Rubens spin off again. I felt sure that Michael would be in front of him by that stage. Unfortunately our tracking system got screwed up because they were off the track so often! I was pretty confident that Michael was in front of Rubens, and I told the pit crew to get ready for Michael. Those guys don’t look to see who it is, they’re just looking for a car.”

Q: And, of course, the tyres are marked for Michael and can’t be used by Rubens…

“Yes. They went on, and we had to try and get Rubens’ tyres brought forward, and there was some sort of mix up. The tyres that went on were the right type of tyres, but [for] the wrong driver.”

Q: So it was a major team error that was cancelled out by the safety car?

“Yes, we were very lucky. Our stops would have been great if we hadn’t screwed up. The guys initially did a great job and they were all waiting ready to bring the other tyres out, but then chaos reigned.”

Q: Why did you go to intermediates?

“I said to the crew, we’ve got a problem, let’s at least make sure we’ve got the right tyres on the car, because we’ve got a Safety Car, and maybe we can recover something out of it. At that stage your mind is more about maybe scoring a few points. Luckily we tried these tyres at Fiorano last week, and we knew that the intermediate was a very, very good tyre. Ron made a comment about Ferrari being irresponsible fitting those tyres. We had the information that they were very good tyres even in fairly deep water. So I think that’s a bit of an unfortunate comment for him to make without the facts or information that was needed.”

Q: Was it your choice, or did the drivers chose?

“It was a combination to be honest. We were talking about it as they were coming in. We knew there were dry parts of the track and we knew there were wet parts of the track and we knew the tyres were very good in the morning as well. That was what we ran this morning [in the warm-up]. We knew it was very good and we knew it would go into the dry. So it was a combination. I think the drivers were very keen and I was very keen, so it wasn’t a very difficult decision.”

Q: What happened when Michael passed Rubens?

“There was just a little bit of confusion, perhaps. Rubens said to me before the Safety Car came in that we needed to be very careful at the beginning, because the track is quite difficult in places. So we just need to be very careful at the restart of the race. So he said ask Michael not to hassle me because I’m going to need to be a bit careful at the beginning of the race. I spoke to Michael about it, but then Rubens got behind Trulli and got caught, and Michael drove round the outside. So I think it’s not a big issue. Rubens was a bit disappointed, but they’re both very happy.”

Q: So it’s been cleared up?

“Yeah, there’s no problem.”

Q: There were no team orders concerning changing position?

“No. It’s too early in the season to be honest. The only team orders would have been if one driver was clearly holding the other one up and there was a compromise. That wasn’t the case today. The only team orders that will apply at this stage of the season is what’s best for the team.”

Q: Were you prepared for the rain in terms of set-up?

“It was a dry set-up. We heard there may be a shower, but we didn’t expect what came. We can make one adjustment to the wing, when we change the tyres. The front wing can be adjusted to change the feeling of the car in the wet, but otherwise it was a normal dry set-up.”

Q: Why did Michael race the T-car?

“When he came in we spotted some fluid on the back of the car. We weren’t sure where it had come from, and rather than take a risk, because there was so little time available, we swapped cars. So, as always, our T-car crew did a great job – they always do a great job – and we’ve got three cars, and sometimes four, that can all be raced, so there’s no hesitation if we have to use the T-car. It’s always the same quality, so we just swap cars.”

Q: What are the strong points of your car this year?

“I think we’ve understood the regulations perhaps more than other teams, and when you get a change of regulations, you sometimes find that somebody gets a better understanding. We’re getting more understanding of the tyres, building a better relationship with Bridgestone. If there’s a tyre war then you’ve got more opportunity to find the best solution for the tyres – the tyres and car work very well together. Last year we had problems with rear tyre temperatures, that seems to be resolved this year. But I expect McLaren to catch up fairly quickly because they’ve obviously got some problem which relates to the new regulations. I’m sure they’ll understand it and they’ll come back very hard.”

Q: How will you stay in front?

“We’ve got to maintain our levels of development the same as we have previous years. There’s a lot of great people in the team who are working very hard to keep the performance going. Rory [Byrne, Ferrari’s chief designer] does a very good car of maintaining performance, not just in designing the car but pushing very hard in all departments to make sure we continue to develop the car. I know there are a lot of things coming through on the aero side in the next few months. There’s some new chassis work at Barcelona this week. We want to try and lose a bit of weight, because a few things worked out heavier than we’d hoped. If we can maintain the level of development that we’ve had in previous years, then I’ve got every reason to be confident. But McLaren will be very strong opposition very soon, I’m sure

[Bruce]

RedB - Good post -

RedF - Perhaps Ferrari, rolling in the cash, as they are, have Ron D on retainer???;););)

[Mila]

is this the same Ron Dennis who put both his drivers at risk with under-inflated tires at the 99 German GP?

[schumigal]

ROn must be the only one in the world that thinks Ferrari are trying to kill their drivers while he's the only one that has any regard to his drivers!! Gees, and DC has to come out and spoil his day by saying they would have choose intermediates have they known about the SC!

[lukywill]

Ferrari was the only team who tested intermediates saturday...

[CA]

If big Rons so worried about his drivers safety, caring man that he is, why did he leave DC out racing at Melbourne after Mikas unexplained suspention failure?
Talk about pot calling kettle black.

[smarty]

Originally posted by The RedBaron
Ross Brawn Q&A

Q: There were no team orders concerning changing position?

“No. It’s too early in the season to be honest. The only team orders would have been if one driver was clearly holding the other one up and there was a compromise. That wasn’t the case today. The only team orders that will apply at this stage of the season is what’s best for the team.”

I'm very happy to hear that. I hope they do as what they say. It would be very interesting to see a teammate race with MS.

[Smooth]

Originally posted by smarty
I'm very happy to hear that. I hope they do as what they say. It would be very interesting to see a teammate race with MS.

Well, the fact that they only had one t-car in Malaysia, and it was set up for Rubens, will certainly debunk a lot of peoples theory that Rubens doesn't get equal treatment from the team..... and the fact that MS spanked him while driving the t-car set up for him shows why Rubens needs to go back to the drawing board....

[smarty]

I think noone can deny that although both drivers may have gotten the same quality equipment last year (I believe they did), MS always had the first priority strategywise, which was understandable concerning how much time Ferrari waited to grab a WDC. Even Rubens didn't make it a big problem last year.

But now it's time for Rubens to understand that he must be ready to go for it. Because there is nobody now openly saying that he is number 1A. On the contrary both MS and Ross are saying that they are equal (See below MS's comments). Things may change again after Spain so it may be a now-or-never situation for him. He may not be able to find this suitable conditions to fight for WDC. He should have been more careful and shouldn't have let MS pass in the race. That's all. Maybe he also didn't believe that he is allowed to race. Now all I can say in this competitionless environment is that GO RUBENS, FIGHT RUBENS AND SHOW US SOME RACING.


M. Schumacher about the pass on Rubens :

We were in equal situations so you fight for the position - I don't think that's unreasonable.

[Mickey]

Q: Why did Michael race the T-car?
“When he came in we spotted some fluid on the back of the car. We weren’t sure where it had come from, and rather than take a risk, because there was so little time available, we swapped cars. So, as always, our T-car crew did a great job – they always do a great job – and we’ve got three cars, and sometimes four, that can all be raced, so there’s no hesitation if we have to use the T-car. It’s always the same quality, so we just swap cars.”

Nowhere does Brawn say that the car was setup for Rubens. I don't know what is Ferrari's stance regarding T-cars this year, but it might be that it'll be setup for the better qualifyier.
Anyways, Schumi decided to swap cars at the very last moment, when there were just a couple of minutes left before the pitlane was closed. This seems to confirm that the car was setup for Michael. On RAI TV, Giorgio Piola confirmed it (and I take what Piola says as the unchallenged truth ).

[Taverol]

Murray Walker said that the T-car was set up for Rubens. And we all know that he's infallible:D

[The RedBaron]

It was reported that this time the T-car was set-up for Rubens. (also Martin B mentioned it on ITV pre-race info)
I personally think they alternate like most other teams. In Brazil I'm expecting the T-car to be set up for Michael.

[Mickey]

Uh, ok, I wasn't aware of what Murray & Martin said, so maybe Piola didn't get it right? Of course, early sunday morning as it was, I hadn't washes my ears yet

[Vincenzo1]

More like cotton calling chalk pale

Originally posted by CA
If big Rons so worried about his drivers safety, caring man that he is, why did he leave DC out racing at Melbourne after Mikas unexplained suspention failure?
Talk about pot calling kettle black.

[Lamont]

Originally posted by CA
If big Rons so worried about his drivers safety, caring man that he is, why did he leave DC out racing at Melbourne after Mikas unexplained suspention failure?

CA, you beat me too it. My thoughts exactly.

[RedFever]

if Murray said it, then it's true