Once
again we've seen Ferrari apply team orders forcing Rubens Barrichello to move
over for Michael Schumacher as he has more points in the championship. Michael
publicly stated that he wasn't happy with the decision but is that good enough
? Do these actions make a mockery of the spirit of Formula 1 ?
Rubens had a fantastic weekend and managed to stay ahead of Michael in both
Qualifying and the Race yet he was forced to yield. After Michael wins the
Drivers title this year (and they is no reason to think otherwise) he will
hand Rubens a win or two but is this what we want Formula 1 to be ? What should the FIA do about it ?
The
last few meters of the race overshadowed the rest of the race. Luckily Takuma
Sato and Nick Heidfeld emerged from their high speed accident without major
injuries. Juan Pablo Montoya got the better of Ralf Schumacher. Giancarlo
Fisichella scored the first points for Jordan. David Coulthard finishing 6th
behind a Jordan, can they get any worse ?. Jacques Villeneuve getting a wake
up call after qualifying in 17th.
What about Panis and Bernoldi who have yet to finish a race and Kimi Raikkonen
who suffered his 5th retirement in a row ?
Your
thoughts ?
Of course you can comment on other aspects of the race - Have
Your Say (What others are saying)
(only your first name and last initial will appear under your comments)
All comments
will be reviewed before publishing. Comments will be published within 24 hours of
submission. Views and comments appearing on this page do not reflect the opinion of
NewsOnF1.com.
NewsOnF1.com cannot guarantee that all comments will be
published. NewsOnF1.com reserves the right to edit comments if deemed necessary.
Just a few words on the matter.
The F1 is not for soccer fans type. Please stay out till Ferrari cycle end.
(Couple of years) Then I would like to see how many of these fans are present
after next 21 years of non victories. I like F1 rules as is, and I hope MS
will soon become a McLaren driver leaving Rubens to us. So the peace will be
back for the Ferrari fans.
P.S. The only time I was a little upset for the position swapping was when
Salo gave his unique chance to win a grand prix to the great Eddy Irvine.
Hi to everybody - Guido N - Italy
The team is first than the pilots. In fact I think that
Ferrari did the right thing - Rafael S - Dominican Republic
It is true that F1 is a just business, but it is a business
that needs the support of the public, and without the public how can they
survive? What are they going to sell?.
With that kind of actions performed by Ferrari, the team, the drivers, the
race as a competition would lost its very reason to be (WIN THE RACE, ARRIVE
IN THE FIRST PLACE).
PD: The one who we have to blame is Barrichello, he is the one who let Ferrari
do with him whatever they want, and then he cries in front of the camera, just
hoping understanding ?. Sorry, THAT I cannot accept it - Elias E - Venezuela
This kind of incident is exactly why I don't like Schumi. I
remember when he was on the championship hunt against Jacques Villeneuve a few
years back and Schumi had his brother try to take Villeneuve out.
Why can't Schumi win the races himself ?? - Juan L - USA
I wish everybody would stop bitching about what happened in Austria.
What happened is part of the sport, always had been, always should be.
Make a new rule to stop it if you like, go on, they will just do it anyway in
the pits or on the track (though not so obviously) and put it down to some
tech error or whatever and then Rubens would get all the sympathy for all his
bad luck.
Despite being a Schumacher fan I was thrilled that Rubens was going to win, he
does/did afterall deserve it. But he played the team game to ensure long-term
success, and it showed great personal character for him to do so.
He didn't have to slow down did he? his foot could have got stuck on the
pedal... It's part of the sport, if you don't like it go watch tiddlywinks - Kev
S - Australia - (this comment was edited - Ed.)
GO FERRARI GO.
In all of the motorsport I have seen over the years I have seen this happen
many times before. You don't see it because it happens behind the cameras,
because the TV directors always focus on the best in the race.
Ferrari did make a bad call. They should have made RB slow done a second a lap
before the end of the race then let MS thru and everybody would have thought
RB had a problem. But I still reckon Ferrari did a good job. They don't want
to lose that title again. You should give MS credit he has brought Ferrari
back from being back markers say ten years ago. When a top team does something
unthinkable, everybody has to scold them. MS is not the perfect driver in F1,
but he has learnt what to do to get there. I think everybody does the same
thing in life. FERRARI WIN THE TITLE. Look at my other comment - Nick A -
Australia
Finally I understand why there are so many upset F1 fans out
there. Fans around the world now can be group into 3 groups:
Non-Ferrari fans – This group of fans criticize Ferrari because their favourite
teams defeated by Ferrari most of the time. Now, with the team order, their
team is double-lose. No way or little chance to win. They say “it is the
most ugly and horrible F1 grand prix they ever seen”. If I am in this group,
I will also criticize Ferrari and upset with the F1 sports.
Ferrari fans (former) – Quiet a number of Ferrari fans criticize their favourite
team. There 3 possibilities. First, they are fans from Brazil. Second, they
follow the majority for their own good, they start criticizing Ferrari. Third,
those writing in say that they are Ferrari fans and still criticize it, they
MIGHT not be the actual Ferrari fans. They just write in and claim that they
are Ferrari fans.
Ferrari fans (now & forever) – This group of fans understands the
meaning of team work, team mate and strategy and winning. What they say is “it
is the best ever team work and strategy I ever seen in sports. It’s a
winning formula and it doesn’t break any rules”
For those who say that they will not want to watch F1 anymore due to the way
Ferrari works, they are lying. They are just trying and hope FIA will punish
Ferrari in order to win back F1 fans through out the world. They knew fans are
important in F1. They want Ferrari to start at the back of the grid so that
their favourite team will have to chance to win.
Ferrari didn’t break any rules or cheated in Austria. Rubens understands it
and says nothing about it. Even David Coulthard back Ferrari’s
decision.
If F1 is going to be a fan-rules sport, and FIA really thinks that way,
watching F1 will be as exciting as watching WWF. You can smell someone
cooking. So next time you see someone or team win a race, it is because of the
fans, not the car and the driver.
FIA will surely win back all fans so that the tickets sales will be as good as
WWF - Jay W - Malaysia
Well all I can say about the Austrian GP is it's not what F1
should be about. I feel it was a complete farce!
I don't think I will enjoy further races this season!
I do think some sort of action against Ferrari should take place! taking off
the points won in this race or some sort of ban for one or more races! - Dodge
M - UK
There seems to be some confusion in some peoples minds when
they compare what happened on Sunday with Fangio taking over a team-mate's
car. In the days when Fangio was racing it was perfectly acceptable and within
the rules for a driver to take over his team-mates car IF HIS OWN CAR HAD
FAILED
When a driver took over his team-mates car his position in the race became
that of the car and not of the position that he held prior to the failure of
his own car. Thus Fangio may have been leading when his car failed but after
taking over his team-mate's car he could then be in, say, 8th place. By sheer
brilliant driving he would then make his way back to the front of the race.
Rather different from Schumacher's hollow victory on Sunday! - Arthur W -
USA
For those who still think that F1 is a fan-rule sports and
Ferrari S****, immediately switch to WWF. Your hero will always win and never
dies. You will always satisfy with the WWF Championship results.
Stop criticizing Ferrari. It is not easy to have both car to the podium. No
matter what, Ferrari still rules on the track. Catch them if YOU can - Jay
M - Malaysia
What would you do if you the Ferrari bosses and one of your
driver's were in the lead of the championship? I don't understand what all you
F1 fan's are upset about.
You have seen this happen before, Australia 98', Sepang 99' and various other
times in the years of F1.
In my view the FIA would have a rule already enforced that a team-mate is not
allowed to yield to another team-mate. Then we would not see this happen at
all. When MS thinks he has done all he can in F1 he might help his team-mate
in wining an F1 title - Nick A - Australia
MS has enough luck without Ruby giving what little luck he
has left away. Following qualifying it looked as though Ruby had the pace of
MS, will we ever know. If all the team is about is making sure that the MS
contract is followed, sounds more like a business contract than a sport
contract - Stephen C - Australia
It was a sad day really for Ferrari to be once again put in
a position where they have to make such a difficult decision. I am a Ferrari
and MS fan and was very disappointed with the way things turn out but I wish
people will stop being so self righteous. If this strategy is a definite
no-no, why not make it a rule. Will the other teams make the same decision if
put in such position? I am sure the answer is not a definite "no".
At least Ferrari is upfront about it - they could have done something at the
last pit stop - and nobody will know any better - Li - Singapore
shame shame bloody shame! sport is sport, how can you teach
your child about being a good sport when his hero is winning and lets a villain
past.
Ferrari should be punished who do they think they are! I would like to see
both F2002's start from the back of the grid for the next 4 races lets see how
good they are when there not out in front in clean air - Brett - Australia
Whilst I understand why a lot of fans will be upset by
Ferrari's actions one has to accept a few realities of Grand Prix
racing.
Firstly, the drivers are entered by a TEAM. All of them. This is a team sport
but we the fans tend to focus more on individual drivers and lose sight of
that fact.
Secondly, how many GP fans remember who finishes second in the world
championship for drivers? How many even remember, or care, about the
constructor's championship? Winning driver's championships is what it is all
about. Thirdly, this sport is now a huge industry. Everyone knows it requires
an enormous amount of money to run a team and that this must come from
sponsors. A team's success will determine if they can raise the required
sponsorship to remain at the head of the field. How is that success measured?
See point two above. Rubens Barrichello has certainly stepped up and is,
perhaps, ready to compete head to head with Schumacher. If he wishes to do
that then maybe he should not have renewed his contract with Ferrari. It would
be nice if we could turn the clock back to the sixties (apart from safety
standards) but we cannot - Gavin H - Australia
Firstly Ferrari, Rubens is signed as a number 2 driver and
must behave as his contract states, all very clinical. But the heart does say,
Rubens should have been awarded his prize.
It is only early days. Ferrari must by now feel confident of another win this
year. Maybe there is some power play happening in the ranks? McLaren are in
big trouble, I betcha David still wishes he was with Williams. No Hope this
year.
Montoya and Ralph will divide the points between themselves this year and take
any opportunity to grasp the world championship.
Jacques Villeneuve? Isn't he that guy that went out with Danni Minogue?
Just remember that all good things must come to an end, how long will Ferrari
reign supreme? And who will grasp the cup? - Ang - Australia
Although nothing can be Commented on the Race Results,
Rubens is definitely a poor chap to work with Ferrari. I would rather prefer
to call me as one useless person who seem to race only for money but not for
the true sport. A real Strong Driver who is for racing will not work in a Team
like that of Ferrari. If Rubens is a Genuine Racing Driver, he would have left
Ferrari long back - Venkat - India
Since both drivers followed team orders, in one side it is
part of the job to adhere to instructions, thus giving Big M the leg room to
slide into number 1, completely giving out Rubens' effort of taking the
pole.
With over a million fans out there with different opinions and emotions, the
argument of giving Big M the boo boo because of a very vivid, open selfish act
is clearly unavoidable. And to those who think this way may also consider the
team officers as selfish, not giving credit to Rubens' effort from the
qualifying round to the race itself.
Rubens, I think you're a great guy, succumbing to the no.2 spot because in a
way I can relate to you in certain ways I give out to others. God has a plan
for you even with just 12 points, you wait and see brother - Butchoy -
Singapore
Whether I like it on any given day. It's a team sport and I
understand that.
Whether I feel Ferrari should have given Rubens the win, yes.
I lost respect for them, and obviously others did as well. Respect is easy to
lose and a much slower process to gain...
You sleep in the bed the you make for yourself - John H - USA
I believe justice will be had. Too many fans around the
world have voiced their opinions and FIA will have to respond.
For what its worth, I tried to email Ferrari to give them my opinion but it
appears they're not taking emails at the moment!
Surprise, surprise. Ferrari, you're a bunch of losers... Blas A - USA
Not to take anything away from M.S., if Michael is as good
as he suppose to be then he should do this without the help of others.
Barrichello was robbed, and that is just not the way any sport is suppose to
be played - Nick B - USA
Where to from here?
I have been an F1 fan since I was 8 years old, attending races at the old and
new Kyalami circuit in South Africa and have always religiously followed the
seasons every year watching and choosing my champion by his driving
experience, gritt, will and sheer determination, that's how heroes are made
and that's why they are called "Champions". That is also why I have
been a Schummi fan for the past 8 years, but sadly "No more"
I have never been so appalled in my life, in fact the only thing that comes
close to this for me is "September the 11th."
I thought the reason they had (a) A drivers championship (b) A constructors
championship etc was so that we could measure the best of all efforts applied,
naaahh, its just about Ferrari (which should now be spelt "merde" or
sh1t)
Imagine for a second you are an F1 driver, you have struggled through a
promising career and eventually through sheer guts get that dream drive for
your dream team, start a season off with nothing but bad luck and then finally
after so many disappointments you see the light at the end of the tunnel,
staring you in the face, finally your 2nd career win, SORRY BUD SOME TIME
SOON, now hand it over and make a pratt of yourself.
Michael Shumaker in my opinion is the best F1 driver to ever have graced this
planet, he has more money than he could ever hope to spend in a lifetime, he
could pick and choose whichever team he wants to drive for he had absolutely
nothing to lose, Michael I thought you had big enough "Cahonnes" to
show Ferrari the finger and let Rubens take the win on the track but I think
your ego got the better of you, I always considered you a sportsman and a
gentleman, your little brothers expression said it all, what has become of the
feisty grand prix drivers of old???
Even though Rubens had more to lose having just extended his life at Ferrari
for another 2 years, well I am sorry but all that bullshit about being a
better person and growing and learning etc, etc well it was all in your eyes
RUBY, you were crushed. Learning, growing and enlightenment are for
"Tibetan monks" "RACING" is what makes GRAND PRIX
CHAMPIONS, FORFEITING to your team makes you a company Bitch.
"Jenson Button" you have just gained another fan I know you have it
in you lad, Britains next hero - A C - UK
MAYBE THE DECISION TOOK BY FERRARI THE LAST WEEKEND WAS
RIGHT ON THE FIELDS COMMERCIAL AND LEGAL , BUT HUMAN AND MORAL WERE INCORRECT.
MORAL BECAUSE THE SPIRIT OF THE SPORT IS THAT ALWAYS WIN WHO MADE THE BEST
EFFORT (BARRICHELLO ALL THE WEEKEND)
HUMAN BECAUSE ON THE MOTHERS DAY SOMEBODY CAN IMAGINE WHAT WAS THINKING BARRICHELLO
MOTHERS ABOUT THIS TEAM DECISION (NICE MOTHERS GIFT FROM FERRARI TO ALL THE
MOTHERS)
MISTERS AND MISSES MAKE THIS QUESTION TO HIS/HER SONS ? WAS THE FERRARI
DECISION CORRECT OR INCORRECT ?
MAYBE THESE LITTLE PEOPLE WITH A MORE PURE MIND CAN GIVE US THE BEST
ANSWER.... German C - Ecuador
I though that if Schumacher "seems" so disappointed
and unhappy with the decision (of Jean Todt?? I don't think so. It was the
only GP he hasn't won...) he wouldn't pass so "sad" Rubens. What
would have happen if he did do that? A penalty from the team? Lost the
championship? please.... Jorge P- Colombia
Sure Schumacher could have let Rubens win but he gets paid
lots of money and he wants to keep it. Just a human emotion called greed.
Ferrari as a company and team should be punished. *16 points taken from the
constructors title *relegation to the back of the grid at the next two races
*denied the the national anthem of the team; next race they win (instead maybe
just a single boring tone for 20 seconds to remind them of that stupid
decision at the A1 Ring) These penalty's may be unrealistic but the FIA and
Formula One circuits should have rules and penalty's in place for this type of
infringement.
The world is outraged and disgusted. The host of my country's broadcast said
he thought "it was the most bloody atrocious finish to a GP he has ever
seen" This may sound harsh but what ever happened to Grace and humility
in sport. Instead of the winner of a race feeling absolutely stoked and
excited, he's embarrassed. The guy who comes second that thinks hey "I
lost to the better man on the day he deserved it, but I'll beat him next
time" thinks exactly the opposite and is confused because he knows he
himself should have won - Jimmy H Extremely concerned fan - Australia
Todt and Brawn just don't get it. Formula 1 racing is there
because of the fans. Without them there would not be any racing as there would
be no point in sponsorship. They don't understand that F1 fans are, with the
possible exception of GP motorcycle race fans, about the most knowledgeable
motor racing fans that there are and that these fans do not attend races to
see their hero win at all costs but instead to see fine driving and to cheer
for the underdog. What we saw on Sunday was a brilliant, mistake-free drive on
the part of Rubens Barrichello which had the essence of thumbing his nose at
Schumacher and the Ferrari management who are perceived as having deliberately
kept him down until now.
No normal person will accept their move at the end of the race where they
essentially said "we don't care how well you drove, we will decide who
wins". It was interesting to see that even Michael's own brother Ralf
gave him a stony stare in the post-race park and that the Ferrari mechanics
initially did not want to take the champagne that Michael offered them. They
can rationalise their move however much they wish and can point their fingers
at incidents such as Coulthard giving Hakkinen the win in Australia (which was
a pre-race agreement between the drivers) but they will never wash away the
bad taste that they have left in the mouths of the vast majority of F1 fans - Arthur
W - USA
Ferrari's contempt and Michael's compliance have turned
drama into farce. Drivers in the same race are clearly risking their lives.
Sato was hospitalised and Montoya missed a potentially fatal
"T-bone" by millimetres. Schumacher took no risks "and just
followed orders". For him to be given a win on a platter denigrates the
entire sport and undermines Schumacher's place in F1 history as statistically
the best driver ever.
But then there are statistics and damned lies! - D M - Australia
I believe team orders should be discouraged as it is
unsportsmanship and not what satisfies the fans worldwide as without the fans
being satisfied the sport would not be what it is today. I would like to put
forward two obvious solutions as follows:-
one-- deduct points from any driver who obeys team orders to his disadvantage.
i.e.-no points for that race and a further deduction of six points from the
total points collected for the season for that driver.
Comment-- it is time to put the past team order policies into the history
books and move forward with renewed policies with forward vision.
two-- implement over a one year period, a one car per team ruling. A sideline
advantage of this would be to elevate the rising cost of running a team and
all teams would be on a level playing field. Regards Ian R - Gold coast -
Queensland - Australia
Team orders have been around for along time. Some examples:
. I recall Senna let Berger through for a win at McLaren, just to say thank
you. . I am not sure but didn't Fangio take over a team mates car to go on and
win? . Coulthard let Hakkinen through for a win. You may argue that Hakkinen
had a brain fade, by going through the pits - but it was still his stuff-up.
It is also purely hypothetical but Williams might have won the driver's
championship in 1986, if they had focused their efforts behind one driver
instead of letting Mansell and Piquet continue their in-house bickering? No
one likes the decision, but Ross Brawn is right and you have to play the
percentages. MS has a lead in the championship and had the opportunity to increase
that gap - Mark - Australia
He sido aficionado a Ferrari y de M. Schumacher desde sus
días en Benneton, pero lo que pasó el domingo en Austria me decepcionó de
tal modo que ojalá que le quiten los puntos a ambos corredores por arruinar
la carrera y al equipo por propiciar tal desastre. No me quedaron ganas de ver
a Ferrari por mucho tiempo. Michael es demasiado bueno como para que haya
necesidad de hacer eso, es mejor que gane el campeonato porque se lo merece y
no por una decisión de equipo. En estos momentos Ferrari perdió muchos fans -
Mario A - Guatemala (to translate, copy the above text, go
to this web site and paste the text into the translation window)
It could have been a magnificent day, but instead it was a
shame! Don't this team need the support of the public????? They could have the
best car but they are far to be the best team!
From now on, I'm a Williams BMW fan! - Jorge - USA
Why is everyone getting so hot under the collar about this
particular fix? It happened last year - same race. It's happened in other
races over the years (I've been a follower since the early sixties).
Following F1 is a permanent day- dream (forlorn hope) that something like the
days of Mansell, Senna & Prost will return. It seems to me they were the
last days that represented good head-to-head racing where the outcome couldn't
be predicted in advance (how about Ferrari will win 10 of the remaining 12
(11) races, and if Michael is running he'll win all 10 - they just won't be so
obvious)).
Getting their collective knuckles wrapped for reversing the 1-2 finish seems
stupid, 1-2 is 1-2 . I'll bet Rubens new two year contract he signed had a
clause about following team orders.
So back to fixes, why is everyone so hot up about 12th May 2002. Didn't
anybody but me see what Ferrari did to Irvine when Michael was out, (injured).
To me it was blatantly clear that they were not about to let Eddie carry the
number 1 to Jaguar the following year. I think I remember Fuelling problems,
wheels falling off, and 'lost wheels' in a pit stop - Mike S - Canada
After looking thru a lot of the messages from the fans I
have noticed that MS and RB have been getting a lot of the blame for the
debacle in Austria. I think this is unfair to both drivers. They have a
responsibility to follow directions from their boss, it doesn't matter if they
agree with them or not. When you work for someone, work for them, especially
in a team effort.
This is NOT to excuse Ferrari for putting both drivers in that kind of
position. Ferrari should have some kind of action taken against them. Take
away constructors points? it would not have mattered who finished first or
second, they would have gotten the same points. Paul S. quotes article #48 and
suggests that Ferrari be banned for the rest of the season. This seems a
little extreme to me, one race maybe, but not the rest of the season. The most
tragic thing is that a good race is being over shadowed by a big mistake by
some bone-head.
JV had a brilliant drive starting way at the back and getting to a points
position before his car went south. The battle for fifth thru eighth was
great. But the only thing people seem to remember is the last hundred yards. A
lot of people, myself included, have the delusion that if you work hard and
play by the rules and are the best on a given day you will win. Well, we just
had our delusion exposed for what it is. People react negatively to that.
There are a lot of improvements to be made to F-1, but the only way to get
them done is if we, the fans, vote with our wallets. Write Ferrari sponsors
and tell them you won't use their products and services until this mess is
fixed. Otherwise nothing will change. There will be a lot of hoopla and bally-hoing
but it will be back to business as usual very quickly - Jeff S - USA
I have been a big fan of F1 for over 15 years, including
going to most of the events in Australia, in both Adelaide and now Melbourne.
I also sit up a watch the broadcast on Channel 9 when every possible, but
after the Austrian G.P. last Sunday, I will be thinking very carefully before
wasting my time.
I enjoy the skill levels required by both drivers and their pit crews to put
these cars in the positions they are but to turn around and give up at the
last corner is a joke.
Michael Schumacher will probably win the Championship on his own merits, he
doesn't need the help of Team orders.
Didn't Rubens recently sign an extension to his contract, was this part of his
contract? Ferrari should wake up an take a good look at themselves. I truly
hope the governing body punish them in some way. - Robert P - Australia
That's not racing - that's follow the leader. F1 is all
about the best car, not the best driver. Team orders - kind of like WWF
Wrestling, where the winner is always prearranged. Very disappointed - Karl -
USA
Ferrari's decision was repugnant. I was a great fan of
Ferrari, but now I feel ashamed. I can no longer be proud of owning a Ferrari,
which is on sale from yesterday on - J.R. - Colombia
The response has been overwhelming. We've added more pages
for quicker download. Next PageLast
Page
Join 6 'n'
Pole and see how your predictions stack up against the others. Register
NOW!
