Ferrari have been fined £100,000 and could face further punishment from the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council after the obvious use of team orders helped Fernando Alonso win the Hockenheim race and revive his bid for the drivers’ world title.
Ferrari’s ‘number two’ driver Brazilian Felipe Massa was leading the race, but shortly after a radio conversation with the team, slowed down and allowed the Spaniard to overtake on lap 49.
Although Ferrari insist they did nothing wrong, the Italian team’s actions have resulted in a huge backlash from the media and fans worldwide, and the FIA have accused them of bringing the sport into disrepute.
Whitmarsh said he did not want to get drawn into all the drama and that he would discuss the matter with Ferrari, away from the media spotlight.
He said: “I have my own private views on it. They were quicker than us; they got a 1-2, but perhaps in a different order from that which people may have thought was right.
“I will give my private views to Ferrari, but I don’t want to go on record and express those views.”
Meanwhile, Red Bull boss Christian Horner chose to handle the matter differently though.
“It’s a great shame for Formula One that the race was manipulated to give one driver a victory over the other,” said Homer.
On the other hand, Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali announced that Ferrari would not appeal against the FIA’s penalty decision.
He said, “As for the stewards’ decision given after the race, in the interests of the sport, we have decided not to go through a procedure of appealing against it, confident that the World Council will know how to evaluate the overall facts correctly.”
Published in The Express Tribune, July 27th, 2010.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ