31 replies to this topic

[BuonoBruttoCattivo]

This taken from excerpt from an interview which ran today on Repubblica.it:

A proposito di Valentino, come ha visto la storia del test sulla Ferrari?
"Una specie di idiozia, almeno dal punto di vista dell'immagine. Valentino per me e per tutti era diventato una specie di mito dopo quello che ha fatto nella gara di Welkom. Ma dopo questo test di F1 ha anullato tutto, si è bruciato tutto il suo credito...
Se proprio voleva fare un test con una F1 poteva aspettare almeno un momento in cui non aveva gare, in cui non c'era tensione. E invece nulla. Il punto è che per guidare una F1 ci vogliono mesi e mesi di allenamento, la F1 è una cosa seria".

He says: "It [the test] was idiotic, atleast under an "image" POV. Vale for me became a legend after what he did S. Africa. But after this test, that [legend status] was cancelled for me, he burnt his credit.
If he really wanted to do a F1 test, he should have waited until he had no [MotoGP] races, no tension. Instead no. The point is to drive an F1 car, u need months of training, F1 is a serious thing."

Briatore is bascially saying that F1 musn't be devalued by such tests, where it seems anyone can jump in a car and look good, fast even...He also goes on to say that the media has banalized everything in F1, where not many people from the outside know or understand how dificult it is to compete in F1.

Is Flavio correct to be miffed, or is he just being...idiotic?
What do you think?

[scdecade]

Originally posted by BuonoBruttoCattivo
This taken from excerpt from an interview which ran today on Repubblica.it:



He says: "It [the test] was idiotic, atleast under an "image" POV. Vale for me became a legend after what he did S. Africa. But after this test, that [legend status] was cancelled for me, he burnt his credit.
If he really wanted to do a F1 test, he should have waited until he had no [MotoGP] races, no tension. Instead no. The point is to drive an F1 car, u need months of training, F1 is a serious thing."

Briatore is bascially saying that F1 musn't be devalued by such tests, where it seems anyone can jump in a car and look good, fast even...He also goes on to say that the media has banalized everything in F1, where not many people from the outside know or understand how dificult it is to compete in F1.

Is Flavio correct to be miffed, or is he just being...idiotic?
What do you think?

flavio is being a git (as usual). rossi flatters f1 by testing with ferrari. who would doubt that f1 is the pinnacle of motorsport because of this? puh-lease.

[Option1]

Originally posted by BuonoBruttoCattivo
This taken from excerpt from an interview which ran today on Repubblica.it:



He says: "It [the test] was idiotic, atleast under an "image" POV. Vale for me became a legend after what he did S. Africa. But after this test, that [legend status] was cancelled for me, he burnt his credit.
If he really wanted to do a F1 test, he should have waited until he had no [MotoGP] races, no tension. Instead no. The point is to drive an F1 car, u need months of training, F1 is a serious thing."

Briatore is bascially saying that F1 musn't be devalued by such tests, where it seems anyone can jump in a car and look good, fast even...He also goes on to say that the media has banalized everything in F1, where not many people from the outside know or understand how dificult it is to compete in F1.

Is Flavio correct to be miffed, or is he just being...idiotic?
What do you think?

Ummm, I'm not sure how grammatically accurate the translation is, but if it is accurate then it reads to me that Flavio is saying the opposite of what you allege. It reads that he thinks Rossi is devaluing his abilities by not training to take the test seriously. As in Rossi wouldn't get the best out of himself and the car at this stage of the season.

Either way, who gives a toss what Flavio thinks (or if he even does think)?

Neil

[BuonoBruttoCattivo]

Originally posted by Option1
Ummm, I'm not sure how grammatically accurate the translation is, but if it is accurate then it reads to me that Flavio is saying the opposite of what you allege. It reads that he thinks Rossi is devaluing his abilities by not training to take the test seriously. As in Rossi wouldn't get the best out of himself and the car at this stage of the season.

Either way, who gives a toss what Flavio thinks (or if he even does think)?

Neil

Translation is accurate.
I can afterall speak, read and write my own language.
And he is not even close to even saying Rossi is devaluing his abilities.
He is saying tests like these devalue F1.
What Flav. is saying is not that complicated to understand.
Finally, if you don't give a toss what Flavio thinks, you sure have a strange way of showing that by commenting on his thoughts.

[Mat]

i dont think it devalues anything. Anyway, F1 is already devalued, and nothing to do with Rossi! Plus, id like to see what John Surtees thinks of Flav's comments!

[Vilenova]

No such thing as bad publicity. Especially for Ferrari.

[laba-laba]

for, rosi still more gantle than scumy

over

[_bigbadbob_]

BuonoBruttoCattivo, I read the original quote (in Italian), and my first impressions are the same as Option1's. Flavio seems to be saying that everything Rossi gained by his performance in South Africa was lost when he decided to test the Ferrari F1. Why? Because F1 is something to be taken seriously.

I know he says it's an idiotic decision from an image point of view, but since he goes on to say that Rossi lost the legend status he gained, surely the idiotic decision reflects poorly on Rossi and not F1.

[laba-laba]

Briatore is idiot cos thinking F1 is everything

[The Vulcan]

Any team that invites one to test for them would have done so with a motive. No one can just go into a team and test an F1 car - its dangerous and formidable. Therefore anyone who does eventually drive an F1 car would have been deemed capable of handling the car well enough not to pose a danger to himself or other people.

That being said the fact that Rossi was invited to test a Ferrari car may have been a publicity stunt or a genuine attempt to see what this 'legend' is capable of. The fact that he is perceived to have done a reasonable job, shows that he can at least be considered as a test driver (or a race driver) should an opportunity arises for Rossi (if he has the interest to drive an F1 car).

All in all Flavio is entitled to his own opinion as would those in Ferrari who had administered this drive for Rossi.

[SalutGilles]

well, F1 is a lot of things, but really, if you've got decent reflexes, and have SOME wits about you, chances are you'll go fairly fast in ANY F1 car.

That's not to de-value Rossi's performance, but champions aren't made in those 3 seconds, they're made in the tenths...

I feel a lot of people could go reasonably well...

[GhostR]

Originally posted by BuonoBruttoCattivo
He says: "It [the test] was idiotic, atleast under an "image" POV. Vale for me became a legend after what he did S. Africa. But after this test, that [legend status] was cancelled for me, he burnt his credit.
If he really wanted to do a F1 test, he should have waited until he had no [MotoGP] races, no tension. Instead no. The point is to drive an F1 car, u need months of training, F1 is a serious thing."

Briatore is bascially saying that F1 musn't be devalued by such tests, where it seems anyone can jump in a car and look good, fast even...He also goes on to say that the media has banalized everything in F1, where not many people from the outside know or understand how dificult it is to compete in F1.

I interpret what is written here as Flav criticising Vale for doing the test now, rather than at the end of the year and having done some pre-test training. There's is nothing in that translation that would indicate Flav was talking about F1 being devalued. He's saying that Rossi devalued himself. The emphasis in the above translation is at all times on Rossi.

Edit: And for the record, Flav's being a git. Rossi just proved to everyone how much natural talent he has.

[RedIsTheColour]

More like Flavio is pissed off that this kind of press attention does not come his way. Everybody was a winner with the Rossi test and Briatore, who is a ****, knows it was for fun but makes a negative comment to get his face in the papers.

[Type-R]

Briatori just devalued himself. Come on, Rossi got the chance on the day and he took it. In my eyes he would have been an idiot to tell Ferrari; no, sorry, I have to meditate, do yoga, train for months, anoint myself and ask Flav for permission before I have a ride in one of your great cars.

Rossi was offered a drive in a car with an automatic transmission, traction controll, power steering and massively effective brakes. Driving that thing should not have been that much of a big deal for someone with Rossi's motorsport experience.

[fingers]

I thought it was supposed to be a secret and this is why, no-one will leave these people alone when they don't want the fuss. Rossi just wanted to try an F1 car and a Ferrari at that leave the bloke alone ffs.

[BuonoBruttoCattivo]

Originally posted by _bigbadbob_
BuonoBruttoCattivo, I read the original quote (in Italian), and my first impressions are the same as Option1's. Flavio seems to be saying that everything Rossi gained by his performance in South Africa was lost when he decided to test the Ferrari F1. Why? Because F1 is something to be taken seriously.

I know he says it's an idiotic decision from an image point of view, but since he goes on to say that Rossi lost the legend status he gained, surely the idiotic decision reflects poorly on Rossi and not F1.

Correct, but further on in the interview, he blames the "mass media" and publicity stunts such as Rossi's test for devaluing the difficulty and competition in F1. My post may not have made it clear, given my second paragraph is were I summarize an other part of his response to another semi-related question.

Nevertheless, I'm happy most people think that FB is being...well, idiotic.

[ffiloseta]

Maybe Flavio is just ranting because he has already (hypothetically) approached Valentino and was given the finger.

Anyway, chi se ne frega? I still dream to see an Italian driver becoming WDC driving a Ferrari, why not Valentino?

[gshevlin]

All that Flavio has achieved by these comments is to make himself look mean-spirited and whiny. Everybody associated with motor and bike racing should be aware that we are currently witnessing an amazing era, with Michael Schumacher dominaing Formula 1, and Valentino Rossi similarly dominating MotoGP (Wayne Gardner was quoted last week as being of the opinion that Rossi is "20 to 30% better" than any other bike rider in the world at present).
IMHO instead of whining about Rossi's test, Briatore should be working with the rest of the teams and the manufacturers to address the issue that he complains about by making F1 cars a damn sight harder to drive. With semi-automatic gearboxes. little use of the clutch except on starts, and umpteen electronic gizmos (diffs, microwave ovens, terrain-following GPS etc. ) on board the cars, it appears that just about any competent OW driver can jump in a car and be within 1-2 seconds of a top driver's times.
Shaving off that last second or so is where it gets difficult of course, and there is no evidence that Rossi was anywhere near a "bogey" time for a lap of Fiorano with the 2003 car (although, to be fair, with only a couple of dozen laps available, getting close to the ultimate time would have been impossible anyway).

[Option1]

Originally posted by BuonoBruttoCattivo


Translation is accurate.
I can afterall speak, read and write my own language.
And he is not even close to even saying Rossi is devaluing his abilities.
He is saying tests like these devalue F1.
What Flav. is saying is not that complicated to understand.
Finally, if you don't give a toss what Flavio thinks, you sure have a strange way of showing that by commenting on his thoughts.

Actually I was commenting on what you had said Briatore said.

Also, I wasn't so much questioning the accuracy of your translation, but more the accuracy of your interpretation. It appears I'm not alone in that. You may claim that Flav is saying one thing, but his words, as related by your translation, clearly indicate something different.
Neil

[BuonoBruttoCattivo]

Originally posted by Option1
Actually I was commenting on what you had said Briatore said.

Also, I wasn't so much questioning the accuracy of your translation, but more the accuracy of your interpretation. It appears I'm not alone in that. You may claim that Flav is saying one thing, but his words, as related by your translation, clearly indicate something different.
Neil

Correct, but further on in the interview, he blames the "mass media" and publicity stunts such as Rossi's test for devaluing the difficulty and competition in F1. My post may not have made it clear, given my second paragraph is were I summarize an other part of his response to another semi-related question. I am too lazy to translate more than one answer. Sorry if I caused confusion.

[SeanValen]

Rossi may just be the execeptional rookie who impressed Schumi, don't mean everyone can do it.

[1george]

Originally posted by BuonoBruttoCattivo

Briatore is bascially saying that F1 musn't be devalued by such tests, where it seems anyone can jump in a car and look good, fast even...He also goes on to say that the media has banalized everything in F1, where not many people from the outside know or understand how dificult it is to compete in F1.

Is Flavio correct to be miffed, or is he just being...idiotic?
What do you think?

I am three times disconcerted:

1. I’m sure that “La Repubblica” is a serious paper that doesn’t follow the famous old saying in the Italian journalism: “Don’t let the truth spoils a good new” (or something like this), anyway, in Italian sounds a thousand times better. So the interview is credible.

2. The need of FB to be always in the headlines. Who is he to criticize what Ferrari want to do? Maybe is better to bring your team at that top level and then have arguments to criticize the others.

3. Is not very clever to talk **** about Valentino Rossi in Italy. I suppose that he is a hero in his own country.

Flamboyant, this time... and

[Earthling]

ppl and especially Flavio are reading too much into this test.

He criticizes Valentino for doing such a test, and says F1 need training and serious determination.
Well what makes him think that this wasnt just a small taste and a test for further tests to come???

He is speaking too early and thinking too much into this matter.

[Lateralus42]

Briatore is assuming that Rossi is just some guy off the street or something, what a joke. Rossi could very well be an excellent driver.

[ferrari_forever]

I feel that Rossi, who has very little 4 wheel racing experience, getting behind the wheel of the Ferrari and being that fast either shows that a) he is very very quick and talented racer, or b) that F1 cars are too easy to drive. If it's the latter then it isn't good for the sport, if it's the former than what was the point of it in all honesty? He's contarcted into MotoGp and wont be joining F1 for some time if ever.

I don't read Italian but, if what I understand is correct, than Briatore is right with his comments, it was a useless PR excercise and has devalued F1 for the benefit of a motorcycle racer...

[AndreasNystrom]

"who has very little 4 wheel racing experience,"

yes.. he was only beaten out by Panizzi and McRae in rallymasters. Been karting since age of 3..etc
I just think the Ferrari test shows he got talent for riding and driving anything.

and i think Flavio is

[skinnylizard]

Originally posted by AndreasNystrom
"who has very little 4 wheel racing experience,"

yes.. he was only beaten out by Panizzi and McRae in rallymasters. Been karting since age of 3..etc
I just think the Ferrari test shows he got talent for riding and driving anything.

and i think Flavio is

i think driving anything well is the key.. anyway i think Flavio is pissed coz he didnt think of getting Vale in a Renault first.

[_bigbadbob_]

Originally posted by BuonoBruttoCattivo


Correct, but further on in the interview, he blames the "mass media" and publicity stunts such as Rossi's test for devaluing the difficulty and competition in F1. My post may not have made it clear, given my second paragraph is were I summarize an other part of his response to another semi-related question.

Nevertheless, I'm happy most people think that FB is being...well, idiotic.

Oh, I see... In any case, you and most people are right -- Flavio IS being idiotic. He might want to start looking at pay drivers if he wants to point the finger at an element that's devaluing the DIFFICULTY and COMPETITION in F1...

He was initially right about Rossi: the guy's a legend. Leave him alone, Falvio

[davegp3]

I don't see nothing wrong on what Rossi/Ferrari have done. Why should he wait until the end of the season to test it? He is so exceptional, that I am sure it will be no problem for him to stay focused on MotoGP.

[Garagiste]

Originally posted by Mat
id like to see what John Surtees thinks of Flav's comments!

Well said! Rossi is a racer, FGS - not the bloke from the pub. If Flav can hop in a Ferrari and match his time, then that might reflect badly on the competiton level in F1. Otherwise one has to conclude that he's talking through the part of his ananotmy that prevents him from sitting in the car...

[DEVO]

All that I have to say is who is going to remember Flavbermouth vs Rossi in the world of motor sports? Flav is just jealous and Rossi is already a legend. Go forward 10, 20, etc... years, Flav who? Rossi will be remembered, so who cares what he thinks.

[Racer Joe]

Originally posted by BuonoBruttoCattivo


Correct, but further on in the interview, he blames the "mass media" and publicity stunts such as Rossi's test for devaluing the difficulty and competition in F1. My post may not have made it clear, given my second paragraph is were I summarize an other part of his response to another semi-related question. I am too lazy to translate more than one answer. Sorry if I caused confusion.

Interesting, isn't it? There was less publicity planned by any of the parties in Rossi's test than say Dixon's test. So what on earth is Flav ranting about? Have we even seen a picture of Rossi driving the bloody thing? How does it even qualify as a "publicity stunt"?

Besides there is a fundamental flaw in his logic anyway. The devaluation has already taken place if that is what it was. Rossi merely demonstrated it. He didn't make F1 cars easier to driver - the teams and FIA did. You can't blame the symptoms for the problems.

Flav just beat Ron in the foot in the mouth contest so far this year I think.