Thoughts on Renault 'Crashgate' and the FIA

I wasn’t expecting Renault to get issued with a two year ban for the ’Crashgate’ scandal. I’m not condoning their actions, but I think their penalty is a shame for Formula 1.

If the whole team was aware of the plan then banning the team is justified, but is there any evidence that all team members knew about it? If not, then I think it is unfair to ban all of them for the actions of just a few.
I honestly expected a financial penalty, and perhaps a move further down the pit lane. Formula One in it’s current state needs all the teams it can get, and we have now lost a major manufacturer for two years. Who knows, Renault may decide never to return when the penalty is up.

I agree with Spanish Motorsport Federation chief  Carlos Gracia in that Flavio Briatore’s penalty is excessive.
"Briatore's (sanction) seems excessive to me, as there were no clear evidence to incriminate him and he didn't have the chance to defend himself," Gracia was quoted as saying by AS newspaper

It seems unfair that a plan devised by three men results in Briatore getting a life ban, but Symonds only gets banned for five years, and Piquet, who carried out the plan, walks away with immunity.  Where is the sense there?

The FIA really needed to get this verdict right at a time when F1 is under such scrutiny, but did they hit the mark?
Piquet Junior should never of been offered immunity. He carried out the act, he didn’t have to. He may have lost his drive for not going through with it, but at least he would have left that team with some dignity, and the chance of another drive. He has shot himself in the foot. Who wants a driver who will crash a car purposely?

If Briatore is banned for life, shouldn’t Nelson Piquet Junior and Pat Symonds have a similar penalty?
In losing Briatore, F1 has lost one of it’s long serving  key characters. F1 lacks characters, and without Briatore, there is even more of a gap.

If Renault have got a two year ban for this then why weren’t McLaren banned for spying on Ferrari? McLaren’s saga was played down by the British press and swept under the carpet.
As I have stated in previous posts, if  the FIA wants some respect, it needs some consistency.  Although McLaren didn’t engage in race fixing, it was an equally serious offence and they should have been issued with race bans.

Looking closer into Formula One it is obvious that once again, behind the scenes politics is dictating this ‘sport.’
Briatore has been threatening a break away series for a while, he is an influential character, and perhaps the FIA were keen to have him out the way. It would certainly explain why he took  the brunt of the penalty.

Bernie and the FIA issue whatever penalty they see fit to add value to the ‘show.’ I think Damon Hill’s comments made this week sum up Formula One perfectly,
“Formula 1 has to ask itself, is it just a very expensive form of entertainment or a proper sport?
“There is a whole book on what’s wrong with Formula 1. It’s called Bernie’s Game and the history of this episode is typical.”

Food for thought….

Montezemolo calls for changes following drop in ticket sales

“No more boring grand prix and polemics,” Luca di Montezemolo stated at this weeks Frankfurt motorshow.   


I’d be interested to hear all his ideas for achieving this. It is natural in racing that there will always be a lacklustre race or two during a season. It is unavoidable. It would be impossible to prevent it without making Formula One more corrupt than it is currently looking. 


Rules that allow for racing would be a start. The current rules have money saving in mind and unfortunately this prevents a lot of racing. Teams and drivers are conscious of conserving their engines and tyres, rather than focussing on full throttle racing. I think teams should be responsible for their own budgets, and if they want to spend on new engines for each race then let them. I don’t see why the FIA should dictate this to them. 


“We need the possibility for top teams to field a third car for famous or young drivers. The future of F1 won’t be about small teams who don’t raise enthusiasm,” Luca went on to say .  


I don’t think F1 would have a future if it adopted these ideas. The top teams running three cars? Talk about greedy and unfair. All teams start somewhere, and this years small teams could be the big teams of the future. I think fans should be encouraged to support smaller teams. Force India suddenly progressing has been great to watch, why should these teams be pushed out the way so the big boys can have three cars each? 
I don’t think it would increase the excitement either. Can you imagine if the podium was a McLaren or Ferrari 1-2-3? How about a situation where all three drivers in the same team are fighting for the title? Hardly nail biting. The smaller teams just wouldn’t survive, as three cars at Ferrari and McLaren would mean they would get all the constructors points, and take up the majority of the top ten in the drivers title race. The smaller teams would then get hardly any revenue at the end of the championship.  


I do agree with Montezemolo on the testing ban, the Ferrari president stated, “We must think of testing. We are the only sport than doesn’t train.” 


I feel quite strongly about this. Testing brings the sport to the fans a bit more. Many circuits allow fans to watch testing sessions, at a much cheaper price than watching a grand prix. It gives the opportunity to see your favourite drivers testing and sometimes gives the chance to get an autograph. It makes the sport much more accessible. Not only this, it gives us something to talk about in between races, keeping Formula One in the press for the correct reasons!   


Luca called for these changes to the sport following the 16% drop in ticket sales at last weekends Monza Grand Prix.  Even if some of these changes are implemented, I think it will be a while before fans trust Formula One again and before ticket sales increase. Following the Renault ’crashgate’ many fans will be questioning every win and wondering if it was genuine, or the result of a pre-determined plan.  
 

The Soap Opera continues..but Lotus and BMW bring some positives!

Well ,well, Renault team boss Flavio Briatore and Director of Engineering Pat Symonds have quit Renault ahead of the FIA World Motorsport Council hearing on 21st September in Paris.  I think that says it all about the verdict of this scandal., along with the fact that Renault are not going to contest the charge against them. 


What a week for Formula One! I think I’m right to call it a soap opera! I wonder what the future holds for Renault, that is, if they have a future in Formula One. As I mentioned in a previous post, I’d be surprised if they are banned from the sport, although they deserve to be. Formula One has already lost a big manufacturer in Honda, so losing Renault would be a double blow. Perhaps the exit of Briatore and Symonds  indicates Renault no longer want to be in Formula One- who knows?


How will this affect Alonso’s reputation.? I think he is one of the best out there in terms of skill and speed. He’s definitely determined, but knowing that he was probably aware of the race fixing plan tarnishes his reputation in my eyes. I like a good racer, but someone who will happily take a win knowing it was a fix? That’s not sportsmanship.  


I think if Formula One wants to come out of this for the better they need to push the positive news we’ve had this week, to show that Formula One does have a future and that it is in fact a sport, not a corruption minefield. 
The announcement of the return of Lotus is brilliant news. Lotus have a history in Formula One, and it will be great to see them back on the grid. A fresh team and new faces is what this sport needs right now. 
Good news for BMW as well. The team announced they have found a buyer, and they expect to line up on the 2010 grid.  


It’s a shame these stories aren’t given as much press coverage as they deserve. It’s stories like these that will help build the reputation of the sport. Ticket sales might improve if viewers know there will be new teams next year to hopefully provide more exciting racing.  


Let’s focus on the positives  more. Lotus and BMW are contributing to the future of F1. At least that’s something in yet another dark week for Formula One.  



Ayrton Senna's Lotus F1

Is Formula One a sport or a Soap Opera?

Don’t you find it funny that every time there is an F1 scandal documents or interviews are ‘accidentally leaked’ to the media?  This does little for the credibility of the sport, let alone the FIA. 


First, Nelson Piquet Junior’s statement makes it’s way to the press. This naturally aggravates Renault team boss Flavio Briatore, who in return announces he is suing Piquet Junior for blackmail via a press conference. Yesterday, Pat Symonds FIA interview accidentally-on-purpose lands in the hands of the media. Today I see in the Daily Mail the radio transcripts from Renault, wonder how they got hold of them….;)
The whole ‘crashgate’ situation is being played out  like a soap opera, every retaliation announced over dramatically, every available document given out freely. It’s hardly the most dignified way to act. 


For a sport that is trying to improve and bring in more viewers you’d think the FIA would have a bit more grace. How do they expect anyone to view Formula One as the pinnacle of motor sport when the governing body always makes a mockery of it? Why not keep the evidence and documentation they have to themselves ready for the court hearing. Then, if Renault are found guilty, the FIA needs to ensure they are punished adequately.  Although, perhaps, like Pat Symonds, they will all be offered immunity in the case - why bother going to court at all?
If the FIA start acting professional then others might start to view Formula One as a professional sport, and not a playground. 


This season on track has been lacklustre to say the least. If the FIA is trying to compensate for the on track monotony with off track dramatics then they are going about it wrong. 
All we will remember this season for is politics and scandal. Playing out Formula One like a soap opera  does nothing to attract new viewers to the sport. Who wants to watch a so called sport with a steady stream of  ‘sex/spy/cheat/crash gate’ episodes (delete as appropriate!). You couldn’t make it up if you tried. 
If we heard more about the racing and less of the politics it would be a start. 


What will happen in the next episode of ‘crash gate?

A thought on Rubens, Michael and a Tiger cage.....

The fact that Michael Schumacher beat Rubens Barrichello for all those years at Ferrari is obviously still getting to Rubens.


"Michael might have more skill than I had, but if you threw both of us into a jail with a tiger I might get out alive - I'm not sure about him," commented the Brazilian following yesterdays victory at Monza. 


Let's not get carried away Rubens. Whatever you say you are still the nice guy of F1, although, obviously a bitter one!! We all know Michael would easily beat Rubens out of a tiger cage. It was easy enough to beat him on track!! 


Jenson and Rubens in a tiger cage might be slightly more interesting, as there is no clear winner there.

And this weeks Donkey helmet of honour goes to...

I thought Valentino Rossi wearing a helmet with a Donkey on was a brilliant way to laugh at his mistake in Indianapolis. Not many racers ever admit to an incident being their fault, let alone hold up their hands and say, "okay, I was a real Donkey doing that!"

So, this weeks Donkey helmet award goes to Lewis Hamilton. He gets full marks for effort, but losing it at Lesmo on the last lap gave Raikkonen an easy third place.

Lewis deserves to wear the Donkey helmet with pride at the Singapore Grand Prix!!

The Prancing Horse needs to sort out it’s ever increasing stable of drivers

How man drivers does one team need? Raikkonen, Massa, Fisichella, Badoer, Gene….Schumacher? Alonso?

And cars? Ferrari seem intent on not only signing half the grid, but also running enough cars to take up most of the grid. Montezemolo likes the idea of Ferrari having three cars from next season onwards.

I don’t think this would be wise for Formula One at all. The bigger teams running more cars because they are more popular? What about the smaller teams, how would they survive as the larger teams slowly took over the grid? I think we should be encouraging viewers to support the smaller teams as well to ensure the sport has a future. Who wants to watch a racing series where the top teams are running the majority of the grid? I think Ferrari need to sort their array of drivers out, and accept that they will be running two cars. I think the idea of running three is sheer greed.

I get the impression that Luca is keen to get Schumacher in that car at some point, and that is one of his reasons behind wanting three cars. He saw the generally positive reaction to Schumacher’s return and he still wants this to happen. I think Ferrari needs to focus on it’s future and let go of the past. If they are that satisfied with all their drivers, as they claim to be, then why are they banking on Schumacher?

I think for many of us, we were keen to see Michael return because we wanted to see how he’d shape up against the current grid. It was a bit of nostalgia as well. Love him or hate him, the Schumacher years of F1 were some of it’s finest. Always exciting, on occasions controversial, it was brilliant and a true honour to have witnessed one of the most, if not the most talented driver in the history of the sport.

The only reservation I had about Michael’s return was if he had struggled to compete with the grid as it is today. Besides, it has been several years now since Michael retired, and technology soon changes in F1. He might have struggled with the current cars. I’d rather remember Michael from the last time we saw him race at Brazil 2006. It was an amazing drive, and he truly went out as the best driver . As wonderful as he was to watch he is now part of F1’s history.

Ferrari need to focus on finding the future of their team, and not relying on the past. Investing in a driver that can bring the dedication and skill to Ferrari, like Michael did, would be much wiser than investing in a third car so that Ferrari can try and relive it’s glory days through Michael.

Alonso would be ideal for Ferrari. I think he is one of the harder working drivers from the current grid, and in my opinion is the nearest thing to Michael. He also has a presence, like Michael did, and he brings some much needed charisma to the sport. He is capable of leading a team forward, which is what I think Ferrari needs. They have been somewhat lost since Michael left.

Raikkonen was possibly the worst choice they could have made. He’s quick, no doubt of that. Is he hardworking and dedicated? I don’t think so. I don’t think he cares about Ferrari either, not in the way Michael did, and still does. Ferrari was a means to an end for Raikkonen, a bigger pay cheque than McLaren .

Bringing Alonso in could see Ferrari return to their glory day dominance. Rumours are rife that Alonso will be announced at Ferrari at the end of this season. Alonso in the Ferrari would be amazing to watch, and might bring a bit of life back into Formula 1.

I eagerly await the announcement.