F1 links: Barrichello wins $500K lawsuit
12th November 2009, 0:37 by Keith Collantine 19 Comments »
F1 Racing Driver Barrichello Wins $500,000 Libel Suit Against Google (TechCrunch)
"Google has been ordered by a Brazilian court to pay Formula One racing driver Rubens Barrichello $500,000 in damages for the presence of fake online profiles of the driver on its social network Orkut, which is hugely popular in the man’s home country."
Ross Brawn suggests he will not meet Jenson Button’s pay demands (The Guardian)
"Ross Brawn has effectively admitted that he will not match Jenson Button's wage demands, saying his team would instead offer the driver greater freedom to negotiate his own sponsorship deals."
Italian Bortolotti to test for Toro Rosso (Reuters)
"Italian teenager Mirko Bortolotti will test with the Red Bull-owned Toro Rosso Formula One team in Spain next month after impressive performances in this year's F2 feeder series."
Sports Personality race gathers pace (BBC)
"Button will surely be a front runner after lifting this year's F1 title. But will that be enough to make him the fifth racing driver to triumph at SPOTY?"
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Prisoner Monkeys said on 12th November 2009, 2:36
It’s interesting how the Button situation is being pitched by different sources. The Guardian suggests that it’s a bad thing, but Pitpass makes it out in a mre positiove light, suggesting that the freedom for personal sponsorship will keep Button at Brawn instead of driving him away.
I think it’s actually a better arrangement than being paid by the team – Button can get as much or as little as he likes, and it doesn’t put a drain on the team’s resources.
Jonathan Weston said on 17th November 2009, 9:02
Jenson should stay with the new Mercedes Team -No question – he doesn’t want to be team mate to McLaren fave Lewis.
PinballLes said on 12th November 2009, 3:24
I cannot see any reason why Brawn GP should pay Jenson any more than he is currently getting. After all it was their car that enabled him to win the world championship. I dare say nearly any of the top ten drivers from this year would have won the world championship, if in a Brawn. Do they really need him?
Prisoner Monkeys said on 12th November 2009, 5:16
As Rubens Barrichello proved in the first half of the season, driver ability played its part.
And the same could be said of the top ten drivers from last year’s championship – they all could have won it in the McLaren. But does that mean we don’t need Lewis Hamilton?
PinballLes said on 12th November 2009, 5:31
Yeap, it does mean that McLaren doesn’t need Lewis Hamilton. There are thousands and thousands of talented drivers out there, that given the same opportunity would be able to match the performance of any current or past Formula 1 driver.
Maverick_232 said on 12th November 2009, 10:48
*sigh*
You really have no idea do you?
Mussolini's Pet Cat said on 16th November 2009, 10:46
nice one Mav, these people are so exasperating.
Kovy said on 12th November 2009, 5:34
Not necessarily, Ferrari had them matched for the whole year.
steph90 said on 12th November 2009, 12:10
Last year? I’m not so sure the Ferrari was a lot worse in the wet than the Mclaren in my opinion. I also think that it just depended on tracks similar to this year with getting tyres to work and so on but perhaps not as extreme as this year’s cars were.
AP said on 12th November 2009, 10:24
oh god yes!
we dont need Lewis
lol
sorry….
he did impress me towards the end of season after he stopped throwing his toys out of the pram.
Icthyes said on 12th November 2009, 10:24
Barichello’s problems with the brakes are well-documented. If anything, the second half of the season shows just as much about driver ability, in which Rubens had the upper hand.
I don’t think the same could be said for last year. The Brawn was clearly a nice car to drive this year (unlike this year’s Ferrari), how much could the same be said for last year’s McLaren and Ferrari (especially given this year’s Ferrari)? Even if saying this year’s top ten could have won in a Brawn is stretching it, I doubt many except probably three or four other drivers from last year could have won in the McLaren or Ferrari, whereas you have a pool of probably six drivers at least who could have mounted a serious challenge in the BGP001.
The simple reason Button doesn’t deserve the wages of the Hamiltons, Alonsos and Raikkonens is that he’s not as good as them! Especially from what it still a privateer team. If he wants more money, he should be able to get it from personal sponsorship, and deservedly so. He is world champion after all and deserves something in the way of monetary recognition. I think Brawn is just being honest about what he can justifiably afford.
KNF said on 12th November 2009, 3:32
Seriously, isn’t personal sponsorship a much better deal than a larger team paycheck? Ask that German guy, some insurance company (DVAG) paid millions to have their name on his cap, and Ron’s ban on personal sponsorship (something which I think ended when Hamilton started plugging Reebok) was apparently a big minus when Schumacher was looking for a new team end of 1995…
Hakka said on 12th November 2009, 10:04
Personal sponsorship can be more lucrative, but it is riskier.
wasiF1 said on 12th November 2009, 9:18
Button situation is getting from bad to worst,I wonder we may have a shock in the driver’s market about Jenson in the following weeks.
The truth is said on 12th November 2009, 9:42
Button is NOT worth more than what they are paying him
pitt layne said on 12th November 2009, 10:22
Why are we talking about Button? I thought this was a Barri wins lawsuit forum. Fahgeta bout Button. Yes, go for the cash. He is WDC and as a result should make more money. It’s good that Barrichello left Brawn. They still can’t get their shi..p together even after winning both Championships. Williams will pay him proper and appreciate his experience. The lawsuit money could pay for his kids education or their first racecar. ‘Still waiting for the autobiography. Maybe at the end of next year… or not.
AP said on 12th November 2009, 10:29
lol even i think this is a no brainer…if you perform well dont you deserve a rise at work?
Now if you cut your own salary, payed for alot of business expenses just to give the team a chance to win …doesnt that alone deserve a bit of loyalty back in return?
Here Ross I just help your team become very well off….now about my share…no here’s base rate and go and find your own money if you want!
Icthyes said on 12th November 2009, 10:27
Button will probably win SPOTY. With no major athletics or football tournaments, and no single star from the Ashes victory, he’ll get a good run at it, unlike Hamilton who was up against stiffer competition and a block of F1-aware voters who don’t like him (or any of the candidates).
PJA said on 12th November 2009, 11:45
I don’t think anyone will disagree that the BBC Sports Personality of the Year has always been more about popularity than the relative achievements of the sports men and women.
The way the media have portrayed the story of Brawn as a fairytale I think increases the chances of Button winning the SPOTY, and Brawn themselves stand a chance of getting team of the year (is that voted for by the public as well?), although team will probably go to the England Cricket squad just because they won the Ashes.
I agree Button is favourite because there haven’t been that many other high profile British sport stars this year. His main competition as things stand will be David Haye but I think all the comments he came out with before his title fight may put some people off him.
If Hamilton had won the Championship in his first year he probably would have won SPOTY then but there was no way he would have won last year just because of the British success at the Olympics at the coverage it got.