Breaking news: World Championship leader Lewis Hamilton’s bid to be reinstated as winner of the Belgian Grand Prix has been rejected as “inadmissible”.
Read about the full story here
I think the FIA has outdone themselves once again. F1 is quite simply spiralling into a game of politics. I look at this saga, not just the verdict, with dismay. Here are some points to think about:
1) Race director Charlie Whitling had twice gave affirmation to Mclaren during the race that they have done enough to negate the “unfair advantage”. Why do an about-turn after the race? This practically means the organising committee of the races cannot give the teams proper clarification during the race. What is the point of having a race director then?
2) This appeal was purely an issue between Mclaren and the FIA. Why was Ferrari’s lawyer doing a cameo with his cross examination of Hamilton? I do not remember other F1 appeal cases where a third party was involved in the appeal process.
3) Why was there an afternoon session if FIA had been decided the case was inadmissible in the first place. Was it just another charade to show the world Mclaren was given a full length session in court?
For the neutral fans, do you want an race or a game of rulebook chess? It is not a case of should Hamilton have won the race. It is now more of: What is F1 and what is FIA trying to achieve?
With this judgement, how many drivers are willing to overtake without the fear of possible repercussions at the back of their mind? Is F1 just a Sunday high speed showcase with the results of the race decided in some meeting?
FIA, does it really stand for Ferrari Illegal Aid? When even Ferrari fans open say they are “ashamed” of such a decision, stark naked biasness is definitely evident. If FIA wants to hand Ferrari the title on a platter, they might as well change this to Formula Ferrari.
Hopefully, this is the last of the ridiculous moves that FIA can make. I crave for pure racing and not politics when my addiction for F1 grew. Now, it seems my dose of medicine has been oddly replaced by a weird concoction of cronyism. This is a sad milestone for F1.
The miracle is not that we do this work, but that we are happy to do it.MotherTeresaMother Teresa
By: Security And Prosperity Partnership on September 25, 2008
at 10:10 am