Team collusion
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After the German GP last week, Stefano Domenicali and Martin Whitmarsh joked on the BBC about working together to catch Red Bull. Which led me to wonder – does any know if there are any rules preventing this from happening?! If two teams share info willingly, or perhaps just combine analysis efforts to work out what is making another team faster, is that actually illegal?
(We’ll know more on Sunday, but it would be a bit of a coincidence if Ferrari and McLaren have really jumped Red Bull on performance…)
Williams and McLaren were under investigation for possible collusion during the 1997 European grand Prix, so I guess it’s an offence. I don’t know of any time anyone was found guilty though.
If it can be demonstrated or reasonably suspected that such information sharing gave one team an advantage at the expense of another (whether the other team was “in” on the collusion or not), then it’s illegal.
Im fairly sure its illegal. Its illegal in other sports like football.
If it cost £100mil in fines when they didnt want to work together to share info, i wonder what it would cost in fines if they did…
I remember again in 1997 Jerez GP that Norberto Fontana blocked Villeneuve after letting Schumacher clean through.
In 2006 Fontana claimed that Jean Todt visited the Sauber motorhome during the weekend, and told Peter Sauber that the Saubers must block if they were in a position to do so in order to help Michael Schumacher win the World Championship. This was subsequently denied by both Sauber and Todt. Peter Sauber told Swiss newspaper Blick: “In the nine years that we co-operated, Ferrari never expressed the desire that we should obstruct an opponent of Schumacher’s on the track.”
A case of champagne to Norberto Fontana!
What engine’s in the back of that car, Murray? Isn’t it a Ferrari?
Martin (laughing), you are a cynical chap!
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