Jump to content


Photo

It's best that Ferrari didn't win the WDC last year.


  • Please log in to reply
No replies to this topic

#1 Yelnats

Yelnats
  • Member

  • 2,026 posts
  • Joined: May 99

Posted 10 October 2000 - 13:42

Ferrari's win this year was much sweeter than a win last year would have been. With the barge-board fiasco, a WDC by Ferrari last year would have been tainted in most of the world (though not for the Tifosi of course!). This year's win was clean and won on the track, not thru the machinations of the FIA.

This was fortunate for the sport in general. It was particularly sweet that the architech of Ferrari's success (MS) was fully involved and I was touched to see him personally greet the mechanics and pit-crew the first thing out of the car.

But the FIA apparently learned little as they did their best to set them selves up for similar problems this year. By their ill-timed warnings against blocking tactics and their appointment of a former member of the Ferrari legal team as a steward for the Suzuka race, an appearance of heavy handed favouratisim towards Ferrari was created.

Suppose a situation had occured like the recent race in Silverstone where a critical penalty wasn't served until after the race because of a tardy decision by the Race Stewarts. Or a repeat of Indianapolis where tactical blocking played a part in the race and could have lead to MS's early exit after the close confrontation between him and Coulthard. A judgment against McLaren by a team of Stewards with a suspected Ferrari bias would have been tained in the exteame and left bad feelings about the impartiality of the whole system.

This situation was particulary unfortunate after McLaren's Ron Dennis's attempted cou against the top members of the FIA. A judgements against McLaren under this situation would have smelled of revenge from the higher echelons of the FIA.

Yes it was a good race and the best man on the day won. Thank our lucky star(t)s!;)