Raikkonen trouble reveals state of F1 – Ricciardo

F1 Fanatic Round-up

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In the round-up: Daniel Ricciardo says the news of Lotus failing to pay Kimi Raikkonen highlights the F1’s financial problems.

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State of F1 ‘needs to be addressed’ (ESPN)

“Obviously it’s not a nice place to be and unfortunately I don’t think he’s the only one. This is the top of motorsport in the world and if a driver like Raikkonen is not getting paid then the sport is not in the best shape.”

Ecclestone asks to ‘go back on’ evidence (The Telegraph)

“Bernie Ecclestone asked on Friday to ‘go back on’ some of the evidence he had given to the High Court on Thursday in his $140??million damages lawsuit as he was accused of ‘lying repeatedly’.”

Formula One’s Bernie Ecclestone asked ex-RBS chief for takeover help (The Guardian)

“[Constantin Medien lawyer Philip] Marshall put it to Ecclestone that he had blocked other potential bidders from conducting due diligence on Formula One at a time when Gribkowsky’s BayernLB bank was considering selling its stake but actively encouraged CVC to bid and guided them on how much to pay.”

Raikkonen has Ferrari seat fitting (BBC)

“Kimi Raikkonen has visited Ferrari for a seat fitting ahead of his return to the team next season.”

Analysis: FIA firm on track limits (Autosport)

Unnamed FIA representative: “Now that we have all the tracks how we want them, we see no reason to take a different approach.”

Stepney reveals 2007 F1 espionage scandal details (Racecar Engineering)

“At the opening round of the 2007 season in Melbourne, Australia Stepney had an informal chat with his former colleague Mike Coughlan then at McLaren. They discussed the rear wing and moveable floor fitted to the Ferrari F2007, both of which Stepney felt were outside of the regulations.”

The Finishing Line – with McLaren’s Sergio Perez (F1)

“The strangest rumour I’ve ever read about myself was??
SP: There have been so many. Probably the most nutty was that McLaren was not going to sign me because Telmex was not paying on time.”

Tweets

https://twitter.com/_MarkGallagher/status/398801669955153921

Comment of the day

@William-Brierty reckons the FIA haven’t chosen F1 for one of its ‘moments of the year’ because it hasn’t produced any:

That really is the completion of an incredibly depressing circle. Even the FIA thinks F1 in 2013 has been dull.

Twelve months ago there were incredible performances from Alonso in Malaysia and Valencia to choose from, a pits to podium drive from Vettel, Hamilton making the most of his one and only chance in Austin and countless mesmerising overtakes from returnee Raikkonen… oh, and a win for ‘everyone’s second favourite team’ and a ‘pole’ for Schumacher.

What do we have in 2013? Two McLarens bumping into each other in Bahrain and a whole load of delaminations at Silverstone?
@William-Brierty

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72 comments on “Raikkonen trouble reveals state of F1 – Ricciardo”

  1. OmarR-Pepper (@)
    9th November 2013, 0:30

    I guess Kimi keeps racing to get the champagne from the podium. And, because there’s not champagne allowed in Abu Dhabi, he crashed in the first lap to go to his personal bar. :P
    Does his seat in the Ferrari car come with a glass tray?

    1. I think there might be cupholders.

      1. No, but there is an icecream holder

        1. He needs a divet in his Ferrari seat to accommodate having his wallet in his back pocket, which he didn’t need at Lotus.

  2. Whats more interesting than Raikkonens seat-fitting is Alonso still being in pain. If he can’t race, Ferrari have a huge problem because they are still fighting for 2nd place in the constructors championship. Im sure they and Alonso himself will push for him to be there. But if not, who is to replace him? De la Rosa? Take Bianchi from Marussia?

    1. Badoer? ;)

    2. Kobayashi please

      1. Yes Kobayashi

        But only if the track is dry.

    3. Todd (@braketurnaccelerate)
      9th November 2013, 1:23

      It could be Marc Gené or Pedro.

    4. And even more bizarre than that is a story I saw a couple of days ago that said Raikkonen might drive for Sauber with Hulkenberg driving for Lotus in Austin. Supposedly stemming from both drivers not being paid by their current teams. Sounded rather fictional which is why it didn’t seem worth mentioning until now. Maybe now since Kimi has had a seat fitting he can drive for Ferrari in Alonso’s place if he can’t make it. Hulkenberg can drive the Lotus in Kimi’s spot and Bianchi can drive the Sauber… Could be interesting, remember you heard it here first. (Insert extra large winky here.)

      1. But Bianchi is still contracted to Marussia. Would it be more likely for Sauber to call on Frijns instead, or for Lotus to call on Valsecchi?

        1. But Frijns was (unfortunately) dropped by Sauber… That would be really awkward!

          1. Weren’t Sauber planning to run De La Rosa last week when Hulk was ill? Talk about awkward.

      2. @bullmello So forget the concept that KR needs surgery then? He’d rather forego that and risk further back issues driving a strange Sauber or Ferrari? To what end? Not to mention…between FA and KR, it seems it is KR who is worse off since he is getting surgery, so replacing FA seems rather illogical…but I say that with your XL winky in mind. And I haven’t even seen your winky.

        1. Sorry, my time machine has been off-kilter of late. ;)

    5. OmarR-Pepper (@)
      9th November 2013, 2:41

      @me4me can you give us a link where it’s said Alonso is still in pain? because I couldn’t find that info. Thanks.

      1. You will find a reference to that in this Roundup, under Kimi’s seat fitting for Ferrari. It refers to Alonso still be treated for back pain and references his current discomfort and his taking of an anti-inflammatory.

    6. I would like to see Bianchi get something though! Maybe not Ferrari, but Sauber or Lotus, or something.

    7. @me4me that will happen when you take old drivers

    8. I think should be De La Rosa. He’s the one present at every GP, “behind” Alonso. Haven’t seen any Japanese driver “taken” seriously” by Ferrari. And I think they’re right at the moment. Kobayashi I think it’s more of an “image acquisition” (for Japan’s markets especially) and his role is just as Fisichella’s etc. Personally, I don’t see Kobayashi racing for Ferrari ever. He’s not that young anymore, then he’s not in F1 for some years, and most importantly… overall, he’s not even on the same level with Massa.

      1. That and he got caught smoking on camera – although that might be a master PR move from Philip Morris to demand from Ferrari that he will be the stand in.

      2. You’re right Kobayashi will probably never drive for Ferrari. In fact, I’d stick my neck out and say he might never drive in F1 again unless a Japanese manufacturer really wants a Japanese driver.

        1. Reading this comment with current day knowledge makes it a rather funny post.

  3. F1 is more than just ‘the pinnacle of motorsports’. It is also a representative of the ‘investment-competition-empire building’ dynamics of the modern world, and, let’s be honest, the playground of the oil industry: huge tracks filled with roaring cars burning fuel and rubber, driven by (mostly) spoiled little kids – they even have dozens of hot chicks hired just to clap them to the podium after the race. All for the enjoyment of old rich men (of course, we, F1Fanatics also enjoy it, but they are clearly not doing all of that for us… otherwise, it’d be very different, right?)

    This is the ‘top of the world’ in a nutshell – expensive toys, a lot of money, hired ladies – all as fast and fancy as possible. Just as this model is failing in the real world, it is bringing F1 down with it. Because it is not sustainable and it polarizes resources, creating mega-powerful companies at the front end and groups that can barely make it to the end of the season at the bottom. And now it’s about to collapse.

    1. @flig every now and again, you will see a rare comment full of wisdom and foresight here which is so refreshing as it does prove that there are some of us F1 fans who apart from enjoying some racing (which is in weaker/smaller doses these days) do see what F1 is and has more so become bottom line: entertainment for the masses that keeps the majority of us ‘entertained’ – distracted (or asleep) from the vital issues we face…and so is all the rest of sport, celebrities etc. Learning to think for one’s self and learning to read between the lines is key to what is going on around us. Shame it wasnt taught at school

    2. @flig and @me262 What an absolute pleasure to read your comments. What you two say transcends F1 and applies to the world as a whole…it echoes my thinking too. Brilliant!

    3. @flig Agreed, that’s exactly how I see it. It’s always been a bit like that, but it has become worse in the last decade.

    4. too true…kudos to you all.

  4. So Gallagher really is just a stalking horse for a return to the Eccelstone/Mosely days at the FIA.

    1. It’s probably a response to something that came up in court, but hasn’t been widely reported in the media.

    2. I think he is right in this instance though. What is more troublesome for Bernie is that if its proven Bernie arranged the money to be payed and its sent by Bambino. Because that means he is in control there, which is what Gribowsky was threatening to reveal to the tax authorities!

      Its one of the things why Bernie never was all that happy about being publicly listed, because he would have to operate to procedures instead of doing backroom deals like he has been doing for 30 years now @hohum.

  5. Talking of Bernie, it’s hardly surprising he can’t get his story straight, he almost always expouses diametrically opposed views on any subject he is asked about.

    1. So far I get the impression that his defense is trying to stick to being vague and avoid answering questions, just like he tends to do. Not something one gets away with in Court, I would say. I think its pretty clear that Bernie just payed people to make sure they did as he wanted/needed them to without even bothering to think about ethics, and only occasionally bothering to clear the legal side.

      1. Which clearly shows why Bernie is not fit for the job anymore IMO. Backroom realing and dealing is something that doesn’t do F1 any good as a sport. One has to wonder whether the only problem in India was not finding the right persons to pay, or just not paying enough.

        @hohum.

  6. F1 is among the most-watched sporting events on the planet and we all indirectly pay to watch, there are ads just about everywhere, they sell rather expensive tickets to watch the races live, there’s a ton of merchandise… yet most of the teams are struggling, circuits need government backing, there are constant regulation changes to cut costs… Where does all the money go?

    1. Where does all the money go?

      are you serious, @ironcito?

      It goes into the accounts of CVC private equity firm, and FOG companies that charge the teams insane prices for providing logistical, hospitality and other essential GP-related services.

      1. I think that was a perfectly valid question….

        1. And a perfectly valid response……

    2. @ironcito, 50% of all the money goes to Bernie or the investors he sold most of his share to, this year the teams will get an extra 13%, total 63%, to share amongst themselves.

  7. I hope at least one of these cases takes Bernie down. He’s full of crap and everything he may have achieved in F1 (back when he was treating it as a sport) cannot excuse what he’s done.

    1. @bigwilk – You don’t even know what he’s done. You don’t even know if he’s guilty of anything.

      This is a perfect example of what I was talking about yesterday when I said people are assuming Bernie is guilty because he is an unpopular figure in the sport.

      1. I think we can all see where the CVC business plan is taking Formula 1 ……and it’s not good.

  8. Does Perez’s answer mean that Telmex paid for McLaren on time then?

    1. Or Telmex have nothing to do with McLaren so it is the strangest rumour he’s heard about himself.

      1. @deej92 – Telmex (as you are probably already aware) is one of several brands owned by Carlos Slim by way of his company, America Movil. Of those brands, Telmex is the one most closely associated with motorsport as it has had a much greater involvement than the other brands. So when people talk about Telmex, they are most likely referring euphamistically to Slim and all of his companies.

        1. I see. When someone talks about Telmex is just think of that brand, not of the other Slim-owned companies. I suppose he could be referring to Claro (through their Clarovideo arm) not paying on time.

  9. Regarding the track limit article: I couldn’t disagree more. Of course the overtaking off-track thing is an issue and it should be addressed. But the thing that doesn’t get a mention in that article is that there are no clearly defined limits. So for instance the exit of the long right hander in India, it’s obvious that the wider you run, the more speed you can carry through that corner and thus the faster you go. So as a driver, you know you can go faster by simply running wide, but… how wide can you run before you get a penalty? No one knows – and that’s the problem.

    The fact that the FIA doesn’t decide to act is ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.

    1. I think perhaps they are reluctant to act on it because of the potential uproar from fans regarding what is effectively quite a minor infraction. But by having Tarmac runoffs they have cornered themselves. Either the cars do whatever they like, or you enforce the lines. And unless they pick, it’s going to remain an issue.

    2. Actually, the limits are very clearly defined. The sporting regulations state that the white line defines the track edges. They also clarify that the white line is considered part of the track, while kerbs are not. So a car has left the track when all four wheels are outside that line, even if the inside wheels are still touching the kerb.

      What doesn’t seem very well defined, though, is how to police that rule. Personally, I think we need track designs that do the policing on the spot, by making it so detrimental to run outside the track limits that it becomes penalty in itself. Suzuka is the perfect example – yes, you can go off the track to complete a pass (ask Adrian Sutil!), but then you’d have to go so far off that it’ll be blatantly obvious. In most other cases, the slippery AstroTurf strip is deterrent enough to make drivers stay on the black stuff.

  10. I don’t believe Alonso would have any problem racing in Austin, although it was a hard impact, but I don’t think it’s something you can’t cure in a fortnight. With the physical attributes nowadays F1 drivers have, and with the low interest level of current F1, it’s maybe something the media tries to raise some attention.
    And what if Alonso could not race? We have seen in the near past, that if someone has to step in a car during the season, without testing possibilities, he will have a hard time. A logical choice would be maybe de la Rosa, but I would prefer Kobayashi. He was one of the rare exception that impressed on their debute, when replaced his teammate back in 2009, as a rookie. He participated on a GP at the same time de la Rosa did. But I have to admit, that I don’t see much chance to bring Kobayashi in, moreover, I don’t think Alonso will be needed to be replaced.

    (PS: I can imagine an interview with the two Ferrari drivers in 2014, asking them about literally anything, and the asnwer would be like “yeah, it’s a pain in the back…”)

    1. @andrewt, Agree, when you see motoGP riders breaking bones one weekend and being back in the saddle the next it puts a bumpy ride in F1 into perspective.

  11. If drivers are not getting paid, the team’s only have themselves to blame (and not because they’re not paying). It costs $50 million per year just to see out a season – and even then, you can only expect to be just inside the 107% margin. It’s unsustainable, and it has been for a while now. But the teams refuse to agree that costs are an issue, much less come up with constructive ways of addressing the problem.

    1. why don’t you clarify your statement to note that the teams that refuse to accept the notion of spending limits are those teams, like RBR, that have the capacity for virtually unlimited spending??

    2. Revenue sharing is the only way. Mild bonuses for the top three in the cc but pretty much an equal stake for all teams. Parity doesn’t come easy, but it improves the show tremendously. I lived in the states when NFL started to introduce it and the perennial losing teams actually started to compete. Tony Fernandez also says that QPR get a much more equitable slice of the pie than Caterham could even dream of. Advertising deals should be the icing on the cake, but each team should get enough to be able to compete relatively well with the top tier. Otherwise, they might as well just make 2 or 3 different classes £50m flyweights, £150m Middleweights and unlimited budget heavyweights. Not what I’d like to see, but the reality of how it is now…

  12. It’s sad but Vettel backstabbing Webber was the most exiting moment so far this year.

    1. @kelsier

      Looking back at it though, it was. It’s the only time I’ve been on the edge of my seat this season. I may have been seething with anger, but at the end of the day I was able to look at it objectively. If it had been Webber stabbing Vettel in the back the whole world would clap him on the back and say congrats, you’re the last real racer on the grid and you showed that boy what real racing is. I think if Red Bull had just left them too it and not said anything over the radio then we would not have had a fallout like we did because there would be no reason for Mark to make a big deal of it – as after all, he’d have just been overtaken fair and square.

      Ever since team orders were legalised teams have been applying them at nearly every race in some way or another and they are causing more problems than they are achieveing benefits through using them. They seem to have forgotten that you actually need to use some sense to decide when to actually apply them.

      1. The thing that still annoys me is Seb had called for “multi 1-2” last year. Don’t tell me what a nice guy he is and how deserving he is… RBR have a fancy barely legal form of torque control and it would appear only used for him, so not really an exciting season.

        1. @abbinator

          The thing that still annoys me is Seb had called for “multi 1-2″ last year.

          Did that happen, or are you making stuff up?

          RBR have a fancy barely legal form of torque control and it would appear only used for him, so not really an exciting season.

          There’s no “barely”. All F1 teams push the limits in a technical sense, and RBR haven’t done anything wrong. And your credibility is further diminished when you claim only one car uses “torque control”.

          1. Not making it up mate, can’t remember the race, but heard the radio with a very worried Seb asking for “multi 1-2” this was in a Sky F1 report just after Malaysia this year to emphasise that he was aware of what the code meant. I did a quick search and found this: https://twitter.com/F1PitRadio/status/242247194902675456
            If it was this date referenced in the tweet, I t would be Spa 2012.
            As for traction (torque) control, Look it up on a search engine, quotes on how SV’s RBR has sounded funny in corners since pre season testing, where MW’s did not. Still, there’s no convincing someone who is so blind, he cannot search Google…

          2. @abbinator – That wasn’t him asking for a team order, it was an engine map setting. Vettel passed Webber and Bruno Senna at Spa to finish 2nd, while Webber got himself stuck behind the Williams until the pitstops.

            Pretty much all the rumours revolve around dubious footage. Back in Canada, the rumours started, because of lines from Webber’s car, not Vettel’s. Yet this was used to “prove” Vettel’s car was fishy. Now when people start again, with “funny sounds”, they assume Vettel, not Webber had something. It’s nothing to do with being blind or not. It’s about the lengths some people will go not only to convince themselves SV supposedly has an “unfair” advantage over his rivals, but supposedly over his teammate as well.

          3. If you want yo believe it’s an engine setting, go right ahead… Did you see MW saying “multi 21” Seb in the post race, or are you really that deliberately obtuse? Taken with the in race car radio I heard (again, I did not hear this live during the race, but in a report almost a year later) the situation was Vet was being caught by Web at a fair clip and was whinging for “multimap 1-2” like his lolly was about to be taken away. Believe what you will. Vet joked about trac control, and it isn’t but there is something (torque control, engine mapping) that affects Vet’s engine noise under acceleration in some races during corners and he is on the throttle 50+ metres ahead if anybody else. F1 has often been about “it’s not cheating until you are caught” but this diminishes 2013 and RBR IMO, just like the crying foul that they did to get the tyres changed. Killed FI and Ferrari’s seasons and also opened the door for the secret (cheating) Merc test. Ferrari’s movable floor, Renault’s movable ballast, etc – all diminish their championships of that year to me. Just my opinion, if you don’t win with honour, what’s the point? (Schumi, Prost, Senna) much better to be true to yourself and keep your self respect and dignity.

          4. @abbinator

            If you want yo believe it’s an engine setting, go right ahead… Did you see MW saying “multi 21″ Seb in the post race, or are you really that deliberately obtuse?

            You ignore the link and article I gave you, which confirms that it was an engine setting, then you want to call me obtuse!

            Here it is again:

            The multi-map is a pre-programmable, driver selectable feature of the MES std ECU, on the RB9 the adjustment is on the right hand side of the steering wheel (below – on setting 4)

            An engine setting =/= a team order, at least in the case of Belgium 2012, where Vettel passed Webber like he did several other cars in the same race, at the same corner, in the same manner.

            Taken with the in race car radio I heard (again, I did not hear this live during the race, but in a report almost a year later) the situation was Vet was being caught by Web at a fair clip and was whinging for “multimap 1-2″ like his lolly was about to be taken away.

            At no point during Spa 2012 was Webber “catching” Vettel. Vettel started ahead (though he qualified behind Webber, but MW had a gearbox change), and went behind dodging the remnants of the first corner crash before the safety car. Vettel passed Webber on track, passed the car Webber was previously stuck behind, and still looked after the tyres better to do a one stopper.

            https://www.racefans.net/2012/09/03/2012-belgian-grand-prix-lap-chart/
            https://www.racefans.net/2012/09/03/2012-belgian-grand-prix-tyre-strategies-pit-stops/

            F1 has often been about “it’s not cheating until you are caught” but this diminishes 2013 and RBR IMO, just like the crying foul that they did to get the tyres changed.[…]Ferrari’s movable floor, Renault’s movable ballast, etc – all diminish their championships of that year to me. Just my opinion, if you don’t win with honour, what’s the point? (Schumi, Prost, Senna) much better to be true to yourself and keep your self respect and dignity.

            Some fair points in there. But I don’t think that it takes cheating allegations for people to want to diminish Vettel and RBR. Look at the way people jump on the “it’s the car” bandwagon for Vettel, or belittle Red Bull Racing for lacking history (not really a big RBR fan myself). Or even claim Vettel “whined” for team orders in Spa 2012 ;)

          5. Firstly, I never actually said I was sure it was Spa – retread the posts… I said I did a quick search and found something with a date that might indicate Belgium 2012, however I did indicate it was in a video report I have seen once about half a season ago that was about a race in the previous season… I stated from the outset that I did not know the actual race, but given the report and the use of the term “multimap” and the reversed call of 1-2 instead of “multi 21” which was and is (apart from those with their head in the sand of stubborn willful blindness) widely known to be the code for car 2 (Webber) to finish before car 1(Vettel) or vice versa in the case of the badly referenced event that I cannot actually recall… Basically everyone but you seem to know what “multi 21″ meant when Webber faced down Vettel before the podium. A F1fanatic debate at the time pointing to a picture of the steering wheel notwithstanding, I think you are alone in your (perhaps) considered opinion as to what that radio message meant at the time, or maybe Rocky meant something else by”you’ll have some explaining to do” – seems pretty obvious to me. I do not have the desire to trawl through Sky F1 site to provide you with a link to the report, as it has probably been taken down in the mean-time, but Vet was asking for team orders to finish ahead of Webber in some race in 2012. I am not denying his talent, but Vet is only really as good as any other WDC currently on the grid, he has been extremely lucky to be in the right team at the right time with a teammate who does not understand the tyres as well as others. Button could have beaten Vet in the same car in 2011 I would estimate, as well as at least 4 or 5 other drivers. But that’s just my opinion and disguised as nothing else… ;)

          6. @abbinator Basically, you seem to be the only one claiming that Vettel asked for a team order in a race in mid-2012. All in a race you cannot recall, even when it has been made clear to you that the “multimap” is an engine setting on the steering wheel (complete with picture). And by the way, not only was it not Spa, it’s unlikely that SV would have been asking for team orders in the previous races, such as Germany/Hungary, where they weren’t near each other.

            So there is no reason to claim you were annoyed by it, as you claimed earlier.

            And “Button” or “4 or 5 other drivers” should try beating their teammates to the extent Vettel has, before wondering if they can challenge a multiple champion ;)

  13. No news about Alonso’s back problems? I hope Bianchi will drive his car next sunday :P

  14. I’m surprised that Ferrari needed to do such an early seat fitting for Kimi. Surely they have a reasonable idea of his size and weight from his previous time with the team which should be enough at this stage in the car development. The actual seat mould could surely be made any time after the end of the season. To me this preparation suggests maybe Ferrari think that there is a chance that Kimi could have a drive before the end of the season (even if that chance is small e.g. due to Alonso’s back).

    1. @jerseyf1

      – To me this preparation suggests maybe Ferrari think that there is a chance that Kimi could have a drive before the end of the season –

      Actually, I don’t think there’s really much weight to any conspiracy theories explaining the seat fitting. As James Allen explains:

      This [Kimi’s seat-fitting visit] is very important at this stage as the packaging of the new hybrid powertrains puts a real squeeze on hip space for the drivers and although Raikkonen is still under contract with Lotus (despite them not paying him) it was important for Ferrari to know that they don’t have any problems accommodating Raikkonen.

      1. And…all teams are now entering into a huge learning curve and need to address all issues ASAP regarding the totally new Formula for next year. The quicker they tackle the myriad of issues surrounding next year’s effort, the better off they’ll be. KR’s seat fitting now allows them to proceed with the next vast number of steps that can now be instigated now that the fitting is done.

        Not to mention…if KR actually needs surgery on his back, I highly doubt the best thing for him to do would be to forget that reality and go drive a strange car for the last race or two. To what end?

        1. I think the surgery issue is more likely the cause of the early seat fitting, I still don’t believe that the car design is an issue, they had Kimi driving for them for three seasons so they would have enough info to design a car to fit him. Presumably the recovery from back surgery could otherwise delay the seat fitting hence the early appointment.

  15. It’s not surprising that the FIA representative who is quoted as bombasting: “Now that we have all the tracks how we want them, we see no reason to take a different approach” wants to remain ‘unnamed.’ The edge of the track is defined as the white line (not sure how you interpret which edge of the line with which side of which tyre, but still it’s a start.) White lines were a visual indication to the driver that anything outside was a “no-no” for real speed or safety purposes.

    Now they’re a joke — the driver can more or less choose which ones to disregard so long as he thinks he can explain it to the stewards. Just a few remain painted a foot or two from concrete walls (some street circuits) or close to kerbs that can bite (Alonso found one last weekend.)

    What we need are kerbs (anyone noticed that moto GP riders don’t use them?) that stand a good chance of sending the car way off track or even damaging the car, or if that’s too dangerous, then replace tilke-astro-turf and race-finished runoffs with good old-fashioned gravel traps at least 30 feet wide. Then we’ll get not just respect for the white lines defining the track, but less stewards meetings and controversial decisions.

    Why won’t it happen? Because the media and the bloggers (and a good number of less knowledgeable fans) prefer squabbling for weeks (years?) over whether Ricciardo or Grosjean or Alonso or whoever was “right” or “wrong”, whether the stewards are “consistent” or have “double standards”, whether the rules and regulations need changing, whether a driver needs a drive-through for not slowing down, sheesh…

    Gravel keeps the drivers on track, and the racing improves. But the media (and Bernie!) need the advertizing money that comes from prolonging controversy. Writing about good, exciting racing doesn’t pay…

  16. Oh Stepney, you might as well stayed shut. I don’t believe in fairytale, everything ended well for you but you still complain? You are trying to prove something? why you’re doing good. I believe in conspiracy but even so Stepney knows more than this.

  17. Let me pose the question: Just what determines the monetary value (in terms of yearly salary) of a driver? In a formula 1 world where only a handful of drivers seem to get paid at all, this discussion seems idiotic.

    An underperforming Hamilton at Mercedes takes home almost double as much as his Team Mate.

    One of the best drivers this season (Raikkonen) and a very good one (Hulkenberg) aren’t paid what’s due to them.

    Is it luck? is it down to expectation? Merit? Driver agent?
    Do only drivers at the 4 big teams get paid?

    I mean what is this?

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