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Media hits back after Ferrari's 'withering attack'

A column posted on Ferrari's official website on Tuesday caused more than a few raised eyebrows within the international media.

A response in Germany's Auto Motor und Sport was headlined 'Red card for Ferrari', after the Italian team slammed formula one's new and hopeful teams and blamed former FIA president Max Mosley for the loss of carmakers.

"I have rarely read such nonsense," wrote the magazine's columnist Michael Schmidt, slamming the attack as a "far-fetched conspiracy theory".

Schmidt's article said the withdrawal and restructuring of F1's carmakers had nothing to do with Mosley, who was accused by Ferrari of having waged a 'Holy War'.

Schmidt acknowledged that there might have been "better candidates" than the struggling USF1 and Campos, but argued that F1 needed new teams even though Lotus and Virgin "cannot be expected to be fast right away".

Britain's Daily Telegraph called Ferrari's rant a "withering attack", the French news agency AFP said the Maranello outfit had "savaged" the FIA, and even Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport said the column was "bitter".

France's Auto Hebdo said Ferrari "attacks the new kids", and London's Times newspaper said the Prancing Horse is blaming "Mosley for (the new teams') teething problems".


http://www.worldcarfans.com/11002242...thering-attack

Damn Alfy... You have WAAAAY TOO MUCH TIME in your hands! I want your job! :) :)

And, for the record, I agree with Ferrari and their statement... Heck, if you want to be part of F1, go and prove yourself in GP2 or something before you come and play with the BIG boys...

Some of these teams and drivers will be plain dangerous to say the least. They do not deserve to be part of F1!

Carlos
ps. I also LOVE Porsche!
ps2. I still remember the movie "Le Mans" when I first saw it in 1973 (I was 5 years old) and those 2 cars Ferrari and Porsche defined my love for these teams...

Polo, all I hear is ppl posting that these new teams, need to join GP2. But GP2 is also dying, there are reports that they don’t even know if GP2 is going to survive. But I do understand where they are coming from,. But at the same time, who will replace the cars that left within the past 2 years.

Also like Ferrari, teams have to start somewhere. Even though they are starting off as the low man on the pole, Ferrari has not business worrying about the other teams problems. Also why should Ferrari or any of the older teams care in the first place? They will be on top of the grid. Also Ferrari made fun of brawn last year, before the season started, guess what ? Brawn owned both Mclaren (my fav) and Ferrari.

But i do respect your opinion, but i feel ferrari e could of showed more sportsman ship with their comments. We know they are one of the big dogs, we dont need their arogance to prove it.

AGREED!!! I guess we are in the same page. :) Maybe because it's the latin culture... :) You say it the way it is...You don't sugar coat it... That, I admire from Ferrari. The way they did it, not so much...

Carlos

I actually found it quite entertaining to read Ferrari's press release on the new teams!!
________
red headed Cams

I see what would be entertaining in it. I suppose I am an idealist that believes in fair play and sportsmanship. That was a firm slap on the nose on sportsmanship.

Even if the text could be seen as humorous it still has a sour taste considering its one of the "big dogs" beating up the "new pups".


Polo, I would like to know what you base that statement on. In which way will a driver, granted a super license by FIA be "dangerous and not deserve to be there"?

I would also like you to explain how reliability issues now in the testing make you judge the team as unfit for F1. Have you ever developed a product from scratch? As a software developer I can assure you that these teams are making huge progress to have something started at all.

IF the new teams during races are way slower than the pack leaders then we can start discussing if it is safe enough. Drivers are warned in advance that they are catching up to a slower driver and can make necessary adjustments. The blue flag will also be used to let faster cars past the slower ones. This does not mean that it has to be dangerous. (Although in that case it could get dangerous if handled incorrectly)

So please tell me, how can you judge them to be dangerous while FIA, FOTA and FOM have all deemed it ok.

I am going to miss last year car, one of the most sexiest cars ever. wish it was the black version though., oh well.





http://img.worldcarfans.com/2010/2/large/8673488.jpg

http://img.worldcarfans.com/2010/2/large/2139982.jpg

http://img.worldcarfans.com/2010/2/large/8794332.jpg

http://img.worldcarfans.com/2010/2/large/1494529.jpg

http://img.worldcarfans.com/2010/2/large/987062.jpg

http://img.worldcarfans.com/2010/2/large/6309346.jpg

A liitle Barcelona action.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZQeGxNxrvk


Paul.

Funny, I am a Computer Engineer (SW and HW) and have worked for 15+ years developing products(SW and HW) from scratch... CC, EC, Prototype, Pilot, FCS, Sustaining while following IEEE/FCC guidelines,.. and I am sure you know what this means.. :) :)

Needless to say, just barely making it to the testing process is NOT enough. They need to have their systems tested (ORT - Ongoing Reliability Test for about 5X the expected life cycle of the product) while running a "real life" test with test beds installed at beta sites.

In F1, this should not be different. Granted, the engines can be bullet proof but everything else is not so the more testing is done the better. Making it to the test environment with 1 wing since they did not have another one is a big NO NO. You will NOT be succesful if you do that.

Having "new drivers" there just because they bring sponsorship money will NOT do F1 any good... It's sending a message... "If you have the money as a driver you can come and drive even if you are not capable of driving an F1 car". These drivers will be a safety hazzard to ther others...

Finally, although I do not agree the way Ferrari communicated this, I DO agree with their message.

Carlos

Actually, no I don't. I know about IEEE guidelines and how some can be helpful and others can be a hassle. But we don't need to throw computer abbreviations at each other. And I get the distinct feeling you are more HW aligned than me.

True for certain type of products. The testing systems for the controller unit for a nuclear power plant require a lot of testing. Also medical systems requires a lot of testing and documentation. (Documentation in the sense that if there is a bug, it is OK if it is well documented how it affects the system and how you work around it)

However to drive a car fast around a track does not require that amount of testing.The development pace of these cars does not leave room to "lets have it in QA for a month extra".

No, the new teams will not be successful but they have to start somewhere. It will take a couple of seasons for the rookie teams to catch up. Just think of Force India, who were the slowest of all in 2008 and suddenly in 2009 they actually take a podium. No team cannot go in and be competitive from the start, and Brawn does not count for obvious reasons.

These drivers are by no mean slow. Even if they are pay drivers they have been successful in the lower leagues. I know there were a few pay drivers in F1 history that were horrid http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/8178.html. I would reserve judgement of these drivers until I knew more of them.

I am a bit dubious about Vitaly Petrov (Pay driver for Renault) http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/driver/7745.html

I assume you have something against Lucas di Grassi for Virgin and not Timo Glock. (Well except for Glock "letting" Hamilton pass you know when... :evil_laug)
http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/driver/3819.html

Here look up the other drivers: http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/driver/index.html
They all seem good enough drivers to me.

Well, we will have to disagree then. I think the drivers will do well given a chance. And I believe that new teams have to start from the beginning. I wish the old teams had stayed and just one new team was added, but the old teams backed out and we face the reality here.

I look forward to many cars on the grid.

Per

I was actually thinking about ISO standards there and not IEEE, although I know about both. For example, certain ISO certifying requires processes that can be absurd, and that is what I meant with them being a hassle.

I guess Ferrari is NOT the only one...
 

So... "Mickey Mouse F1"?? Can't agree more with Webber...


" Mark Webber has blasted the current state of Formula One, stating that it's 'embarrassing' that teams who haven't yet tried out their cars may race in the season-opening Grand Prix.

Four new teams were granted entry into Formula One for the 2010 season, but of the four only two teams have engaged in pre-season testing, one is reportedly out of business and the other looks set to undergo a name change.

Considered the pinnacle of motorsport, Webber believes that the sport is now being made to look amateurish.

"It's embarrassing," Webber said of the situation.

"It's incredible that people who haven't yet turned a wheel take part in grands prix.

"It's the sort of stuff from Mickey Mouse or Tom and Jerry," he added.

While Virgin Racing and Lotus look set to make it to the first race in Bahrain, USF1 are in a financial quagmire and will reportedly ask the FIA to defer their entry to the 2011 season.

Campos Meta seem to have weathered the financial storm that looked set to derail their attempts this year, and according to reports in the Spanish media, the team will now be known as Hispania Racing after securing new sponsors. Whether new sponsors will be enough to get the team on the grid remains to be seen. "

Article is here...


http://www.planetf1.com/story/0,1895...999893,00.html

Bottom line,
These teams that are struggling so much even before they have a car tested should NOT be allowed to participate in the pinnacle series of motor racing...Heck, go to Nascar... I hear they are still using carburetors! :)

Carlos

well that is great and all, but just last week MS said he doesnt share the same views as ferrari.

http://www.worldcarfans.com/11002282...rrari-outburst

Even long-time Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher does not share the views of his former employer.

"Actually I think they are doing reasonably well," said the German when asked about the new teams that are up and running, Virgin and Lotus.

"I think for teams that have started completely from scratch I think they are doing a very good job," added Schumacher.

Common, don't you see?? He NEEDS to be politically correct! He knows he will "own" them in less than 1 lap in a couple of weeks time. Heck the more "new teams" the better for him... If he was at Ferrari, he will not be saying this... what hypocrite! He could be one of the greatest drivers ever but personally, I don't have much respect for him.

Carlos

Yes the established teams will be 3-5 seconds faster per lap than the new teams. But they are working hard and fast to catch up.

My question is: if you do not allow new teams into F1, what happens when a team leaves? Will it in the end be a 1 team sport.

Or are you suggesting that a GP2 team should upgrade to F1?

I am genuinely curious of how you would suggest you get new teams and "fresh blood" into the sport.

I see some advantages with upgrading a GP2 team, but even so I am not certain an upgraded GP2 team would do any better than the current new teams.

If anyone is at fault, it is FIA for admitting these new teams without having checked out finances and technical capability properly. All a team does is apply for F1 and FIA either approves or disapproves depending on whether FIA considers them up for it or not.

If a team has gotten approval, all it can do is work as hard as possible to make it work. Virgin and Lotus have done great to get where they are in so short time. As for Campos and USF1, well not so great and it is FIA that should have been held responsible for admitting them.

I cannot believe that you as a HW/SW engineer aren't impressed with how far they have gotten in the little time they have? Ask yourself, how much of a product could your company get to a running state in 6 months? And I mean from scratch. No CAD design, no ideas no nothing. My own experience recently with implementing an video specification API took a year to complete. And that was just an open standardized API.

And obviously the Virgin and the Lotus are both in Beta stage if even that considering the short development time, but they did not have more time available than that. I am simply AMAZED at the work they have done.

Agree that they have done a tremendous job in getting up to speed. And yes, I believe it's the FIA's fault for allowing some of these teams in..(perhaps some lobbying and $$$ was part of the deal? I am sure it was...)

I do believe however that a team should "graduate" to F1 by following certain criteria, and one of those should be GP2 participation for at least 2 years before moving on.

I am not against any new teams. It's the way it's being handled especially by FIA. I hope, for the sake of the F1 community, that these inexperienced drivers in "untested" cars don't kill themselves or cause a major accident during a race.

I guess we agree on certain things and disagree in others... :) and that is fine. This shows our passion for F1 and motor racing in general... :) :)

Carlos

correct, but he knows that mercedes have more money then those 2 teams. remember, more money, the faster you are. But at least he understands that. Where Ferrari seems to forget is, that every one must start some where. Even if they dont have the money that teams like Mclaren and Ferrari has, they must start some where. If a teams fails, why should it bother ferrari any?

And you are right, if he was at ferrari, he woulldnt be able to disagree. But since he is no longer under a dictatorship team called Ferrari. He is now able to speak his mind freely.

Now I find it funny , that you posted Webber agreeing with Ferrari. You was so gung ho about it, but when I post a driver who disagrees, all of sudden that driver is a hyporcrite. I must say, ferrai fans are the loyalist fans i ever seen. If hamilton said something that I disagree with, I would voice my opinion about it. But you Ferrari fans, are like sheeps, that never leave herd (never disagreeing with ferrari). So I give you 2 thumps up bro, you my friend are a true fan. :) My next question is, do you prefer me to call you H.A.L or D.A.R.Y.L?

USF1's dream is definitely over, after the FIA reportedly decided to reject the American team's request to freeze its official entry until 2011.

Germany's Auto Motor und Sport reports that the governing body is now deciding whether or not to immediately pass the final team slot to Stefan GP mere days before the season begins in Bahrain.

Bernie Ecclestone said passing in the entry for an official tender process so close to the Bahrain deadline makes "little sense".

"As far I know, Stefan GP could race in Bahrain," said the F1 chief executive. "Yet you should not believe everything you hear because we don't want the opposite to come true.

"The FIA will conduct a business review, and if positive, Stefan GP might get off the line in Bahrain," Ecclestone, 79, added.

The Briton scoffed at reports that Stefan's hopes also rest with the unanimous agreement of all the other teams.

"This has nothing to do with the others," said Ecclestone. "It is entirely up to the FIA to say yes or no."

Kazuki Nakajima is lined up to drive one of Stefan's Toyota-powered 2010 cars, and Ecclestone said "it would be great" if Jacques Villeneuve gets the green light to occupy the sister seat.

With Peter Windsor believed to have already departed USF1, team principal Ken Anderson told BBC Sport on Wednesday that "we are done" in the event that the FIA rejects his request to freeze the entry until 2011.

The F1 world is now waiting on the final entry list to be published, and a FIA spokesman said on Wednesday a statement will be made "soon".


http://www.worldcarfans.com/11003032...an--ecclestone

Stefan GP has been denied entry

http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/10079.html

I have mixed feelings about this. On one side it would be nice to still see the Toyota on the grid, on the other hand applications need to be handled properly.

Here is a nice analysis of the situation, without going into flame wars .
http://blogs.espnf1.com/editor_blog/...rnt_from_new_1

Schumacher fired

up for Bahrain GP.

:hahano:

Freaked me out for a second. :rolleyes: :dunce:

Haha, too funny. I wonder if the writer of the article knew that he wrote something shocking...

Check out Ferrari's attitude toward McLaren observing them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPqm7RjgtVY

Paul.

PRICELESS!!! :) :)

He should know better! :nono:

Carlos

Looks like Ferrari are trying to hide something ;)

Then again everyone was hooting and laughing so it is good to see the teams can joke a bit together.

The serious stuff starts next weekend...