Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Ferrari unhappy at FIA decisions

Ferrari have severely criticised Formula One governing body the International Automobile Federation (FIA) over their decision to allow new teams to enter F1 for the 2010 season.

In a column published on the official Ferrari website on Tuesday, the Italian team attack FIA for encouraging struggling newcomers like Campos and US F1 instead of supporting old hands such as BMW and Toyota, who have both left the sport.

"Of the 13 teams who signed up, or were induced to sign up, for this year's Championship, to date only 11 of them have heeded the call, turning up on track for testing, some later than others, and while some have managed just a few hundred kilometres, others have done more, but at a much reduced pace," the Ferrari column titled 'the Horse Whisperer' claimed

"As for the twelfth team, Campos Meta, its shareholder and management structure has been transformed, according to rumours which have reached the Horse Whisperer through the paddock telegraph, with a sudden cash injection from a munificent white knight, well used to this sort of last minute rescue deal.
"However, the beneficiaries of this generosity might find the knight in question expects them to fulfil the role of loyal vassal.
"All this means, it is hard to imagine the Dallara-designed car showing its face at the Catalunya circuit, with Sakhir (venue for the opening Bahrain Grand Prix) a more likely venue to witness the return of the Senna name to a Formula 1 session.
"The thirteenth team, US F1, appears to have gone into hiding in Charlotte, North Carolina, to the dismay of those like the Argentinian, (driver Jose Maria) Lopez, who thought he had found his way into the Formula 1 paddock... and now has to start all over again.
"Amazingly, they still have the impudence to claim that everything is hunky-dory under the starry stripy sky."
The Ferrari column attributes blame for the current problems to former FIA president Max Mosley, who rowed with established manufacturers such as Ferrari last season over his plans to bring in new teams.
"This is the legacy of the holy war waged by the former FIA president," the column continued. "The cause in question was to allow smaller teams to get into Formula One.
"This is the outcome: two teams will limp into the start of the championship, a third (Stefan Grand Prix) is being pushed into the ring by an invisible hand... and, as for the fourth (US F1), well, you would do better to call on Missing Persons to locate it.
"In the meantime, we have lost two constructors along the way, in the shape of BMW and Toyota, while at Renault, there's not much left other than the name. Was it all worth it?"


Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved.

No comments: