Montezemolo disapproves of Vettel booing

2013 Italian Grand Prix

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Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has spoken out against the booing which was targeted at Sebastian Vettel at Monza and other races.

The Italian Grand Prix was the latest in a series of races where Vettel has been the focus of booing from parts of the crowd.

“Maybe it would have been better, if there had been fewer boos for Vettel: congratulations to him and to Red Bull,” said Montezemolo at the Frankfurt Motor Show, “but to our critics and those with short memories, I would like to remind them that in the past few years, Ferrari has always been at the top.”

Vettel’s team mate Mark Webber also criticised the jeering directed at his team mate, saying: “the atmosphere I was not completely a fan of, to be honest”.

Montezemolo said Ferrari were not ready to surrender their chances in the world championship: “There are still a lot of races to go and we must never give up, right to the final kilometre.”

“I think that it will take an enormous effort from everyone, but we must have a competitive car. I have said it before and I say it again: I want to thank the fans, who have shown so much affection and understanding and this must push us to do even more.”

Montezemolo added ?óÔÇÜ?¼2bn (£1.69bn / $2.65bn) will be invested in Ferrari’s activities over the next five years, excluding its Formula One operation.

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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64 comments on “Montezemolo disapproves of Vettel booing”

  1. OmarR-Pepper (@)
    10th September 2013, 22:32

    At last! A rival team talking about it. Good news to hear about this “fuss”

  2. LdM actually saying something that makes sense?

    Perhaps the world is ending tomorrow?

    1. Which means we’re not going to get the ‘Kimi to Ferrari’ announcement after all!

      1. People boo because winning comes with hating. Period. Vettel has done “bad things” for sure, but he’s not getting boo’ed for that. Alonso calls names to his mechanics and nobody boos? Why? He’s losing.

        It’s like when neutral crowd supports the underdog in a certain match because they want to see the champion toppled.

        1. @jcost I guess you misunderstood me. I was replying to ‘Perhaps the world is ending tomorrow?’. It was a joke :'( about the fuss around when the announcement press conference was going to happen. It was meant to be held yesterday, which turned out people just got their message wrong, etc. No tomorrow = no announcement of the initially inconceivable move!

  3. The more talk about this booing, the more an issue it becomes. Just let it be I say. People like to boo, well fine for them, just don’t take it personally. On the other hand, I am not the person being booed, so I may be completely wrong.

    1. @caci99 Booing might be okay if there was something controversial. I’d have booed at Hockenheim 2010 for instance.

      But when a driver completely dominates a Grand Prix? not fair at all…

      1. Exactly this, I am not impressed that the culture of booing the rightful winner has infiltrated F1, sure if there is controversy then it is understandable but Vettel did nothing wrong at Monza!

        I am no Vettel fan by any means but the booing was awful and uncomfortable.

  4. Classy from Montezemolo

  5. Booing isn’t very nice, but it’s one of the few ways a great many F1 fans can show their displeasure at the sight of F1’s 4th best driver romping to his 4th championship in yet another dominant car.

    1. Boing is offensive and hatefull. No real F1 fan would do that to a team/driver who simply do a better job than the rest. I get that people get tired of seeing Vettel win, but honesty neither Alonso nor Raikkonen nor Hamilton did all they could have done last weekend. Vettel did. So why the dismanners? If fans want to express their feelings at the podium ceremony, simply don’t cheer.

    2. @James I’ll leave it to the others to explain (complete with stats, for the thousandth time) that Red Bull wasn’t dominant in either 2010 or 2012; making your opinion of Vettel being the 4th best personal, biased, and irrelevant.

      If Red Bull is in fact that dominant and your top 3 are that good, surely they would’ve beaten Vettel anyway, as they have no problem doing so with Webber in exactly the same car.

    3. @James

      Is Vettel already considered the 4th best driver on the all time greatest driver list?

      1. James is correct. Vettel is the 4th best driver in terms of wins. Equal 4th with Alonso. Schumacher 1st, Prost 2nd, Senna 3rd.

    4. Even if Vettel was, as you say, the 4th best driver on the grid (and that’s a titanic if), why boo him? What wrong did the guy do, except drive the best he can? Should he back down so other, presumably more deserving drivers can pass him? Your statement is ridiculous in every way, as is the booing.

  6. To me Vettel is a cheap cheat. He lied to his own team in Malaysia that he had forgotten what the term Multi 21 means. Vettel cheated to his team and his team mate. Shame on him!

    1. I wasn’t aware overtaking was illegal…

    2. Slippery slope mate …. did Hamilton not “cheat” at the 2009 Australian GP? Hasn’t Alonso been a party to “cheating” during the whole 2007 spygate fiasco (and arguably the 2008 Singapore GP)? Funny how you are so righteous when it comes to Vettel’s failings and yet you mention nothing of the other drivers. Some might see that as being biased.

    3. What was wrong with Multi 21? Vettel has the better tyres than Webber which he has saved from the Qualifying and he was faster than Webber. Dietriech Mathesitz told the team that the team order given to Vettel not to overtake Webber was against the racing spirit. He said: “Let the drivers racing.” And after that Redbull announced they will not apply teamorder anymore. Webber himself did not raise this issue anymore because he accepted wha the Redbull boss said.

  7. Really great comment from Montezemolo. It’s inspiring to see teams speak up to control their fans. I’m very glad he’s said that.

  8. That’s Ferrari made two great decisions in one day: trading up for a better driver so the space is no longer being wasted as far as I’m concerned, and they’ve made a stand on the disrespect towards competitors. I think they’ve gained a lot of credibility in doing such, so I tip my hat to them.

    Sincerely, a staunch Red Bull fan.

    1. @vettel1 Even I have been surprised. I would term the way Ferrari runs its team as somewhat “right wing”. There is a love of tradition and status quo, but equally it’s not hard to work out who the head honchos are. So, these two moves, the removal of Massa and the defense of Red Bull are almost something of a liberal departure from their normal conservatism. In terms of signing Raikkonen, fielding two champions really is a bit of a departure for Ferrari. I respect them for that. What I don’t respect is the media and people who think they know what they’re talking about, like Stewart, assuming that Alonso won’t happy by the fact that his team will be motivated by the incoming champion. It’s tosh. It’s not 2007. Alonso is not about to throw a tantrum if Raikkonen turns out to be fast. And anyway, my suggestions that Raikkonen might be able to challenge Vettel at Red Bull were rubbished, so surely the idea that Raikkonen could challenge Alonso at Ferrari is even more absurd. Alonso will outqualify Kimi. Alonso will get a better start than Kimi. So 9 times out of 10 next year, Alonso will be ahead of Kimi going into turn 1, and when you’re behind Alonso you invariably stay behind Alonso.

      Regarding Luca’s reaction to “boo-gate”, we see the kind of sporting commeradory uncommon between F1 teams, and is yet another departure for Ferrari. The incident itself was rather blown out of proportion. Italians, and I know this because I have many Italian friends, view F1 as a panto. Alonso is the hero with his red cape, and it is his mission to conquer the evil of arch-enemies Vettel and Hamilton; who was also booed by the Italians last year. It’s not malicious, it’s not offensive, it’s simply a measure of how passionate the Italian are about F1, and the vehemence of their support for Ferrari, which even I can’t replicate. Put simply, if you beat Ferrari, you are unpopular in Italy, and if you beat Hamilton, you are unpopular at Silverstone. Vettel has done both, but what isn’t fair is that he doesn’t get the reception of a home coming hero when he arrives, and wins in Germany. Why is that? The “Peter perfect factor”? His hair-style? Nevertheless, it was uncomfortable on the podium at the weekend, and I respect Ferrari for not clinging on to the edifices of years of humiliation at the hands of Red Bull and offering a liberal hand of support.

      Sincerely, a staunch Ferrari fan.

      p.s. If you hadn’t spent so much time and money making the Ferrari 458 Speciale so mouth-wateringly gorgeous, then you could’ve been in with a shot of the championship!

      1. @william-brierty I much prefer the LaFerrari or the standard 458 – both are incredible looking machines ;)

        Absolutely I agree with everything you’ve said as per usual. I gave a certain degree of exemption for the Italian crowd as it is almost a home tradition but to be frank I cannot remember such a vehement displeasure for a driver from the British Grand Prix crowd. It seems to be a recent occurence and one I can’t say I like (even if it were a driver I didn’t like at the receiving end of the jeers).

        By my assertion, Vettel isn’t as warmly received in his home country as I think the German fans are a much more neutral force in F1 circles – they aren’t terribly nationalistic in comparison to the British or Italian fans I would suggest. Also, they are inclined to side with Schumacher – after all, he is the more successful driver!

        1. @vettel1 OK, the standard 458 is a bit special, but the LaFerrari? Has you seen the hideous central nose pillar and the insect antenna-like wing mirrors?

          Regarding the British reaction, I sensed an abundance of a “you didn’t deserve the 2012 title” attitude. Had Alonso had won it, I think the reaction would’ve been mere indifference, but the highly knowledgeable British fans know a) that Hamilton probably should have won the championship in 2012 had he not had such poor luck, and that b) Vettel won the title in a car that was a distant second fastest behind the McLaren. Couple that with Multi-21 and a lights-to-flag domination at Canada last time out and the subsequent connotation of Vettel being a “boring driver”, and I think the British reaction was inevitable. In the eyes of the British fans, Hamilton and Button are the underdogs, getting more from the car than is on offer, whilst “Peter perfect” Vettel has both the car and the luck. I think the Italians view the dynamic between Ferrari and Red Bull in a broadly similar way.

          The situation in Germany however, is, in my opinion, more troubling. If you’ve ever been around German football fans, you will know that the lack of “Vettel-fever” has nothing to do with a lack of German nationalism. Could it be that German interest and passion in F1 rather died with the first career of Schumi? Are they simply just less overt in their support, I mean, they do still all wear Red Bull t-shirts? Or is it something more complex? Could it be that this genuinely incredible, super fast, highly intelligent, witty young German guy, who spends much of his time speaking impeccable English in an English F1 factory, has rather lost touch with the German fans? Sounds feasible to me. But hang on then, who does support Vettel then…?

          p.s. I literally can’t believe how much time I spend agreeing with a “staunch Red Bull fan”.

  9. The UK fans turned on Vettel because of multi-21. F1 fans have greater memories clearly than the team bosses.

    1. It would seem those UK fans memories are highly selective, as they obviously managed to forget all the times Mark Webber has ignored team orders.

      1. Nope, they just remember why Webber starting fighting against his team in the first place, and so should you.

        1. Nope, they are full of double standards, like you.

    2. @jre_f1

      F1 fans have greater memories clearly than the team bosses.

      Not even close.

    3. If it was another driver he’d be applauded for ignoring team orders. The only bad thing he did in that situation was to lie about it after the race, hardly a reason to give him grief for so long.

    4. I guess we should boo Alonso for 2007. Raikkonen for taking cash not to drive in 2010. Hamilton for lie-gate. Webber for attacking Vettel at Silverstone while he was told not to. Massa should be booed for qualifying in front of Alonso.

      While we’re at it, let’s make sure that, in the future, we also boo Schumacher, Prost, any mention of Senna, Mansell and basically every driver who ever crossed a moral line ever. That’ll show them and stop them from being ‘that guy I don’t like but keeps winning’!

      1. Boooooooooooo
        To this post ,

        For being such a good post,

        Boooooooooooooooooo

  10. Multi 21! It’s not his driving or his winning that’s being boo’d at – its his lack of sportsmanship. Personally I disagree with the booing as it too is unsporting but let’s not make this about his driving because that’s not why he’s getting the boos.

    1. If the situation had been reversed, and Webber had ignored team orders and passed Vettel to claim the win, he would have been branded a hero. Let alone if Kimi had done it, they would’ve built him a monument and called him a “legend”.

      1. “Webber had ignored team orders and passed Vettel to claim the win, he would have been branded a hero”

        Yeah, just like he was in Silverstone when he beat Vettel despite the Redbull team ripping his new front wing off and putting it on his rivals car at the height of a championship battle.

        1. And that was based on the driver feedback from the Friday practice session, which you’ve unsurprisingly chosen to ignore (not to mention that a tyre failure for Vettel, who lost a significant amount of points through misfortune that year aided Webber’s win that day).

    2. I did not like Vettel due to the multi 2-1 episode. I had even criticized it because I felt Mark had been cheated by his team. But then Vettel had the racing instincts to go for the win. The way he handled the issue later is highly questionable, but he is a racing driver not a driver of the safety car.

      His dominance so far in the season including the way he drove even at the times when he did not have the best car and the way he has handled the booing incidents have made me look at him with respect.

      PS. I am not a fan of Vettel but it looks like I might become one soon :P

  11. 2 BILLIONS? like 2000 millions? That sounds like a lot

    1. Well, it is. I’d be set for life with 0.5% of that.

  12. You sure it was Montezemolo that said that? It doesn’t sound like the ravings of a cult-leader.

  13. Question…
    Did people booed Schumi when he was dominating at Ferrari? Other than that time in Austria.

    1. @idmjungle
      Nope, I don’t think so.

    2. Indy 2005, but yeah, only at actually controversial races.

  14. Michael Brown (@)
    11th September 2013, 1:31

    There`s too much worrying about this situation.

  15. You know you are successful when some people start to hate you…

  16. Hey, don’t forget that Ferrari would most likely want Vettel to drive for them when his contract with RBR is done. This is probably Luca’s way of getting Ferrari’s fans to play nice.

  17. With seats in Laterale Destra B my wife and I weren’t aware of the booing for Vettel over the general applause and crowd hubbub, it must have sounded worse from the tv mics, and been localised in the mass below the podium.

    Restrained, light applause from most of the stand certainly compared to the noise generated for Alonso and Webber!

  18. The mating ritual…. begins…

  19. @nick – You cant boo Kimi for taking the money in 2009 mate, hell I was more that happy to take Ferrari’s cash not to driver their car in 2010…………….. but seeing I have only driven a go-kart I am not so sure I was in the running :)

    I am a Webber fan and not a huge Seb fan and would certainly have booed him if I were in Malaysia this year for the Multi-21 fiasco (I will be at Sepang for 2014-YEH) but 1) The guy cant keep coping it for that at each race and 2) does anyone REALLY think the tifosi booed him for the multi-21 OR just because their boys didnt win??

    There was no moral high ground taken here on Seb’s history, but just bad supportership.

  20. I think this is all moot. Why? Because in a large crowd at a sporting event you are never going to eliminate some fans’ reaction in the form of booing. And while some may think it is classless, the other side of the coin I think can be taken from the likes of Jeff Gordon when asked about fans booing him in Nascar for winning so much (back when he was of course). He said basically that they weren’t booing him, they’re just booing someone who beat their driver, and he also is of the opinion that thank goodness there are fans in the audience that passionate about the sport.

    So while I get that Vettel did nothing to deserve booing, I think SV himself would know that all he is guilty of is being successful at what he does and beating drivers who are going to have some pretty staunch fans in the crowd. I’m pretty confident that SV would not be taking it personally and as long as that is the case I really don’t see the point of belabouring something that is never going to go away and has been going on for decades.

    And I think that if both Ferrari drivers had taken each other out at Monza and really put a nail in FA’s WDC’s hopes this year, even LdM would have understood their own team being booed, even if they are ‘always at the top.’

  21. Vettel’s only got himself to blame, the majority of the booing only started since he overtook his team-mate, who had been told they were holding station, and after issuing a grudging, barely-good-enough apology, then came out fighting and said he’d do the same again (which, to be honest, we knew anyway).

    Hamilton gets booed regularly at Monza, unless he crashes, in which case the tifosi go mental with joy. Haven’t heard anyone complaining how unfair that is, although Hamilton did draw attention to it on the podium last year, saying it was a shame.

    1. Trenthamfolk (@)
      11th September 2013, 22:48

      I agree… Vettel is a backstabber, and therefore a looser, no matter how much he wins… shame really!

      1. Vettel is a backstabber

        I don’t think trying to overtake your teammate in a motor race makes anyone a backstabber, unless we should ban overtaking altogether, since taking positions from others is too mean.

        1. Trenthamfolk (@)
          12th September 2013, 6:38

          way to miss the point!

          Multi-21…

          1. @trenthamfolk – And even then, calling him a “backstabber” is a double standard. If Webber couldn’t “maintain the gap”, then why should Vettel throw away a win because of another poorly applied team order?

    2. @kartguy07

      Vettel’s only got himself to blame, the majority of the booing only started since he overtook his team-mate, who had been told they were holding station

      Then Webber is a blithering idiot. Stevie Wonder would have seen Vettel’s attack coming… And it’s not like Webber is one to talk now is he. He’s all about team orders until they favor the other guy. That’s hypocrisy at its ‘finest’.

      Webber’s crying was just another attempt to discredit Vettel, because he knows he’s got no other legitimate way of fighting Vettel. And the ‘fans’ eat it up because they jump at any excuse to hate Vettel.

      In the end that makes Webber a hypocrite, that makes those who support Webber hypocrites and it makes Vettel what he is, a multiple championship winner who will not be told to hold station when his (much) slower team mate is in front and would ignore the team just as much or more.
      It’s like Vettel said, Webber would have done the same and has never helped Vettel. So it would be nothing short of madness to expect what Webber refuses to do from Vettel.

      1. Agreed. Just look at Silverstone 2011. And Webber did anything but help Vettel in Brazil last year when he had nothing to fight for himself.

        1. Trenthamfolk (@)
          12th September 2013, 21:58

          But people like Webber, and dislike Vettel… Go figure…

          1. @trenthamfolk Maybe some people don’t like someone who wins a lot and the Malaysia incident got a lot more coverage than Webber’s disobeying of team orders at Silverstone. It’s just Vettel got the job done in Malaysia while Webber couldn’t at Silverstone.

  22. For the record, the tifosi are known for booing any driver that beats a Ferrari at Monza. They booed Hamilton on the podium when he won and Alonso finished second last season. Look it up on YouTube if you wish, so all of this Multi-21 ** is simply that … if you dislike Vettel that is fine. Expressing that dislike by booing is pretty low rent and completely out of order in my opinion. Webber absolutely ignored team orders and aggressively tried to pass Vettel at Silverstone in 2011 … the only difference between that GP and Malaysia this season was that Vettel succeeded in getting past and took the win, Mark did not. Bitter fans and just that and the booing says far more about the fans than it ever will about Seb.

  23. How many multiple world champions were that nice? Let’s see the ones I remember. Schumacher was physically threatning, Senna was on the verge of paranoid, Prost was sly, Piquet was a slanderer and Lauda…well Lauda I don’t really remember but I’m sure we can accuse him of something. I don’t remember people being so intolerant with their wins. If all people have against Vettel is “multi-21” that can easily go down either as self-defense or payback.

    Could it be because Vettel seems pretty much like a normal bloke and that is what people dislike? That a down-to-earth guy can be this dominant?

    1. Trenthamfolk (@)
      12th September 2013, 21:52

      Dress it up all you like, many people don’t like Vettel and no one can make them. He’s in the spotlight and if he can’t handle it, he should get out… Although he seems absolutely fine, is the rabid fans who have the problem. Long may his reign continue, but the mass expression of an opinion is as legitimate as any other comment, mass made or otherwise. Get a grip.

  24. Maybe just maybe, if ‘Herr Finger’ was a little less arrogant and ceased the habit of sticking his finger up to people, they might have some respect for him. However the image of a “spoiled brat” comes across too easily in the eyes of the majority of the worlds F1 fans.

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