Waiting on the World Motor Sport Council 13/04/2009 The F1 world holds its breath as it awaits the WMSC's ruling on the double diffuser controversy, due tomorrow. All other news disappears, unless you count the story that Jenson Button and Richard Branson nearly resorted to fisticuffs in a drunken argument over the driver's girlfriend. So much depends upon the decision of the court that it is hard to ignore it meanwhile - it looms over the sport like a dark, Malaysian thundercloud.Rubens Barrichello in the Brawn BGP 001I must admit that I am amazed at the optimism of those who are expecting the double diffusers to be confirmed as legal. That would be reasonable, given that the stewards, Charlie Whiting and Max Mosley have stated that the diffusers are within the law; but it also puts a great deal of faith in the good sense on the WMSC. Perhaps I am being cynical but I see no evidence in the past of the court possessing such an attribute.Take the banning of Renault's mass damper in 2006, for example; that particular tweak had been around in the sport for over a year, had been passed by the scrutineers any number of times and was used by many of the teams at various times. But the damper was banned as a "movable aerodynamic device", surely the most unlikely excuse in the history of F1. It was clearly a political decision, designed to handicap Renault and Alonso from proceeding to another championship and it was only justice that it failed to do so - although it was a much closer run thing than should have been.So do not count on the diffusers being approved because they have been found legal so far. The decision tomorrow will be a political one, dependent upon how the FIA wants to manipulate the F1 championship this year.Historically, we might expect that the decision would be in Ferrari's favor; since the red team do not have the trick diffuser, it will be banned. But things have changed somewhat over recent months, most importantly in the election of Luca di Montezemolo as head of the teams' organization, FOTA. He has done a good job so far, particularly in presenting a united front to the FIA, and Max, Bernie and crew have not enjoyed the resultant curb on their powers.By throwing in his lot with the other teams, the Ferrari President has become a part of the opposition in the eyes of the FIA; the old relationship has gone, therefore. As a result, it becomes extremely likely that the diffusers will be allowed, not because they are legal but because this will punish Ferrari for its willful behavior and further attack the unity of FOTA. In a strange way, justice will be served, the diffusers being legal according to the letter of the law and all appeals to the "spirit" of the law merely subjective and irrelevant arguments.It might appear that Ferrari's change of sides has opened up the sport to more reasonable and just government, there being no more suspicion that Ferrari's interests are considered first in all judgements on contentious issues. The sad fact is that the bias will merely migrate from being pro-Ferrari to a position of punishing the team whenever possible. Luca has done a brave thing and one can only hope that he sticks by it in the months to come.The fact that McLaren are still being targeted by the FIA, in spite of the shift against Ferrari, is not a factor that weakens my view on FIA politics. The anti-McLaren bias was always much more a case of Max's personal dislike of Ron Dennis than any pro-Ferrari stance. Later this month we will see how this affects the WMSC in its handling of the overblown lie-gate saga.In the meantime, we will probably have the right decision from the WMSC on the diffusers - they will be declared legal, the results so far will stand and we can look forward to a year of intense competition as more and more teams introduce their own trick diffusers. That is how it should be, F1 being a constant struggle between engineers to come up with the cleverest tweak to gain an advantage. The new order of Brawn GP, Toyota and Williams at the front will have to develop as fast as it can to stay ahead of Ferrari, Red Bull, Renault and McLaren and the racing should be intense and gripping.The lesson is clear: F1 is best when politics does not interfere. Let the engineers do their thing, let the FIA allow the championship to develop as it may, and the racing will do the rest. It is not a sport that needs constant adjustment and change to be entertaining - it always has been the best show on earth and, when left to itself, it continues to be so.Now please, please, let the WMSC make the sensible decision tomorrow...
Clive
David While I’d much prefer to see F1 otherwise, all indications point toward it being an increasingly manipulated entertainment venue. The ring-master’s feature show needs publicly aired controversy, for as everyone knows, any kind of publicity in show business is good publicity.Therefore, I agree completely that the decision will be politically motivated. Ferrari’s wild calculation of some 40 million to revamp the rear end of their car is designed to kill these controversial diffusers in the current ‘save money’ environment, but it just may backfire on them since Luca appears to have made yet another mistake, this time in breaking with the power structure, and actually coming out against the power brokers too - unless that is also merely an act of promotion?So, what will happen tomorrow? I’m hardly qualified to read the tortured minds that will sit in judgment, but on weight alone I think these diffusers will be declared legal. Date Added: 13/04/2009
Peter Boyle Hate to be a smart ass, but I told you so:http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/74455"FIA requests BBC's Whitmarsh tapes"I wrote:http://www.madtv.me.uk/f1insight/default.aspx?blogid=491"God... Mclaren. Idiots. Whitmarsh was in on it IMHO - look at his TV interview prior to the hearing. Why didn't he say we let them past. It was spin. Ron, come back."Now my only worry is what if sMacks Mosely read my post...(or a similar one I made on Ed Gorman's blog).And, if it catches on - I think I coined "sMacks Mosely"someone else has already heard this.... ;)Anyway, I suspect I'm not the only one "resigned" to a bad hearing. Date Added: 14/04/2009
Alianora La Canta I have a feeling that the diffusers will be allowed, simply because Max Mosley says they are legal. The WMSC has a history of following Max's wishes whether it is wise of them to do so or not. Max has spoken in their favour and so I expect the WMSC to follow, thus surprising everyone by being sensible for once (however coincidentially). Date Added: 14/04/2009
Journeyer Apparently, the FIA website says that the decision on the diffusers will not be released until Wednesday afternoon. So there is probably a 24-hour gap between the hearing and the decision. Date Added: 14/04/2009
Nick Goodspeed The diffusers will be legal if the teams using them break ranks with FOTA. In other Brawn can have his run at a championship if he kisses the creeps derriers! This draconian vendetta Mosley has for McLaren is more politics. He's had it in for them and Ron Dennis for years now.He obviously thinks they are responsible for sex scandal. If he thought it was someone else he would be going at them with the same voracity as he is toward McLaren.To Mosley and Ecclestone the teams, personnel, races etc. are all pawns in the power / money struggle. Date Added: 14/04/2009
Pink Peril I wish I had your optimism Clive. While I agree that the decision - whichever way it goes - will be political, I am just not so sure that the stars will align in the universe for the outcome to be the 'right' one for the sport.And Peter Boyle, I like the new moniker for S&Max. Very witty. Consider it copyrighted by yourself ;) Date Added: 14/04/2009
michael Well, it seems that there is nothing any one of us can put forward regarding the Diffuser slash Hamilton hearing that could be looked at as factual. We have our sentiments, fears and anxieties for sure about these matters. Which really makes me wonder. Why is it that so many grown men and evidently women are so enthusiastic about a "sport" that has been run for at least the past twenty odd years by a pair of double faced manipulative med evil men their Handlanger a scarlet red team that always stands to profit. A system that always beckons FOUL PLAY in my mind. Every post I have read so far has people's minds twisted and spun into maximum drive just as McLaren's heads were spun and twisted desperately trying to come up with the correct approach the right idea and still getting it wrong * Idiots! Why is that? Seriously, can anybody name me just one Greek philosopher who could have come up with anything better than F1? :-) I Love F1.And on the point of hailing Di Monte of the scarlet fraction ... I am sure it is good for Max to have a fox in the hen house playing team till the eggs are hatched. Italian history is full of twist and turns deceit and counter deceit - hum - I believe they invented the double agent :-) Well, it's about money a boat full of money and therefor in this game I shall trust no oneIn my view F1 is LIFE to the "Max" ;-) Date Added: 14/04/2009
Clive David: Yes, it looks as though declaring the diffusers is the only way for the court to go politically and legally. Of course, there's no guarantee of that - something could be going on behind the scenes that we know nothing about... Date Added: 14/04/2009
Clive Peter: Nothing wrong with saying "I told you so". Have been known to do it myself on occasion. ;)The lie-gate decision will penalize McLaren heavily, of course - there would be no point to the fuss stirred up otherwise. It only remains to be seen whether the WMSC succeeds in implicating Whitmarsh in the mess. Date Added: 14/04/2009
Clive Alianora: Agreed - that is the most likely outcome. Date Added: 14/04/2009
Clive Journeyer: Thanks for the info. Presumably the court will hold on to its decision that long so that the teams that have to change diffusers before the Chinese GP have as little time as possible for the task... Date Added: 14/04/2009
Clive Nick: I am still hoping that FOTA can retain its unity in spite of the FIA's attempts to break it up. Call me an optimist. ;) Date Added: 14/04/2009
Clive Peril: That's me, always hoping for the best. I suppose I should have learned by now... :| Date Added: 14/04/2009
Lee Clive,I really hope that the diffusers are judged to be legal but I have a feeling they will not be. I still think that there is a distinct Ferrari Bias within the FIA and this is not going to go away just because of their involvement in FOTA. Ferrari still have an inside man as deputy to Max and a loyal footsoldier as an advisor to the stewards. They are still the only team to be paid just to take part in F1 and they still have representatives on the WMSC. Until the sheer weight of Ferrari influence is reduced within F1 and its higher powers then this bias will continue. I do agree though that the Mclaren side of things has far more to do with Max wanting to get his own back at Ron rather than a pro ferrari stance. However there still has to my knowledge been no investigation (however small) into the use of illegal turning veins on ferraris current car even though Williams clearly pointed it out to the FIA.However, I would like to make a plea to the WMSC to make the right desicion and legalise the diffusers and reward great engineers. Date Added: 14/04/2009
Clive Michael: Like you, we love F1. I guess we just keep hoping that things will get better, Max and Bernie will somehow be removed and we can watch uninterrupted by the nonsense invented by the terrible two. It's a faint hope, I know... Date Added: 14/04/2009
Clive Lee: I agree with what you say, even down to the terrible feeling that they will ban the diffusers. We will know soon enough and, hopefully, they will get it right for once.Williams protest at the turning vanes was more a matter of pointing out another grey area in the rules that had been used by some of the teams, I think. They were saying, "Yes, we found a loophole in the diffuser rule, but so did you in the winglet rules." A quiet demonstration that loopholes are part of the game and hence Williams withdrawal of the protest once it had been noted. Date Added: 14/04/2009
marc Clive, you sum up my position exactly. "Let the engineers do their thing, let the FIA allow the championship to develop as it may, and the racing will do the rest." Lawyers and courts of appeal are no place to contest a race. If the stewards' decisions cannot be trusted, then the stewarding system is broken (fix the cause not the symptom).I came to this sport because of the racing, and the controversy between Alonso and Hamilton was interesting, but FIA manufactured controversy is annoying. What's more, having the FIA pretend that a sin of omission is more damning than an FIA president who constantly changes the rules (not to mention the damage caused by the S&M scandal) is hypocrisy beyond measure. Date Added: 14/04/2009
Alianora La Canta I am none too impressed with the conduct of Ferrari's lawyer, Nigel Tozzi. He called Ross Brawn "arrogant" and then stated the following:"Anyone with a command of English will tell you it [the diffuser] is a hole, so do not let anyone attempting to be clever with words defeat the express purpose of the rule".This would make more sense were it not for cleverness with words requiring a command of the language to which the words in question belonged. If someone attempting to be clever with words attempts to defeat the express purpose of the rule in the English-language WMSC, then that person must, by definition have a command of English without believing the diffuser is a hole.With arguments like that, the anti-diffuser brigade don't stand an objective chance, especially with the FIA's known capacity to defeat the purpose of their own rules through being clever with words. Date Added: 14/04/2009
Clive Marc: I agree - a little needle between drivers is entertaining but the sordid politics encouraged by S&M just brings the sport into disrepute. Date Added: 14/04/2009
Clive Alianora: Tozzi's use of insult as argument is becoming very familiar. What amazes me is that the WMSC puts up with it. And, apart from that, he is trying to prove that there is a loophole in the rules - which all the parties accept already. He should be trying to show that use of the loophole is illegal but, of course, that is not so easy. The very definition of a loophole is that it is an area not covered by the rules - and can be legitimately used by anyone who notices it, therefore. Date Added: 14/04/2009
Alianora La Canta It gets better. I've just noticed that Nigel went on to criticise the FIA:The FIA, and in particular technical director Charlie Whiting, also came under fire, with Tozzi accusing them of "getting it wrong, and not understanding the point".Three guesses on how this will affect the appeal judges' impression of the anti-diffuser case and the first two don't count. For anyone needing a hint, check the official name of the Court of Appeal. Date Added: 14/04/2009
Peter Boyle The medals vs. FOTA intrigue just got interesting.Deal between Max's agenda and Bernie's agendawas struck, with Bernie supplying cash.FOTA are naturally excluded from decision making processsince they are not offering to pay for their democratic vote.They only wast hundreds of millions they shouldn'thave making the cars and provide the spectacle afterall.http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/090414133032.shtml Date Added: 14/04/2009
Ali When Max or Ecclestone is gone, there will be new Maxes and Ecclestones. I don't expect any big changes in Formula 1, samely in the world. We have lots of Maxes and Ecclestones everywhere and they don't seem to be disappeared that quickly. Politics will always prevail, unfortunately. Date Added: 15/04/2009
Journeyer So - the diffusers ARE indeed declared legal - and they said so at 11 AM Paris time - a lot earlier than they announced or I expected.For once, the FIA look to be prompt and sensible. How long will it last?I say 2 weeks. ;) Date Added: 15/04/2009
Clive That's a pretty safe bet, Journeyer. :DIgnoring the next momentous decision by the FIA, the interesting question now is which teams will bring updated diffusers to Shanghai? Ferrari have a few tweaks, they say, but no double diffuser, the others are said to be working on them. Expect McLaren to have one this weekend - they have been very quiet about the whole business and I would not be surprised if they secretly wanted the appeal to fail. Date Added: 15/04/2009
Peter Boyle Clive, you are probably right.Mclaren no doubt figured that by adding their name to theappeal they could guarantee it to fail so that they could usetheir new diffuser would be legal in China. Date Added: 15/04/2009
Clive Which would mean that McLaren are at last learning how to play the FIA political game. Pity they did not learn it a bit sooner - before the stewards meeting in Melbourne, for instance.It remains to be seen what reasoning the ICA used in reaching their decision. Whatever they say, however, I reckon Alianora made a good point in her comments on Nigel Tozzi's statements. Ferrari has yet to learn that, now they are no longer the favoured team, they must be careful not to insult the stuffed shirts at the FIA... Date Added: 15/04/2009
Journeyer "they must be careful not to insult the stuffed shirts at the FIA... "This makes me suspicious - do they have a secret pact with Jean Todt to help him oust Max? They wouldn't be this aggressive normally.A bit extreme, I know, but stranger things have happened."which teams will bring updated diffusers to Shanghai?"Renault, maybe McLaren, maybe BMW. That would leave Ferrari and Red Bull lagging. Date Added: 15/04/2009
Clive Todt as FIA President is everyone's nightmare. No doubt there are political moves behind the scenes to get him elected and Ferrari would be involved in that to some extent. I can't see anyone beating Max if he decides to run, however. Date Added: 15/04/2009
Alianora La Canta It's worth noting that in Alan Donnelly, there is now a rival for Max Mosley's blessing as the next FIA President. While Ferrari are unlikely to suffer much for Alan taking the presidency (the only danger to them is if a candidate Max doesn't approve wins), I think they'd much prefer one of their own to be president.Is this fury from Tozzi a sign that Mosley prefers Donnelly and the pro-Todt camp are getting desperate?Is this a sign that Max no longer believes he is completely secure in the post and is either stepping down completely at the end of the year (leading everyone up the garden path and leaving a big mess for his successor that makes Max look like a good governor) or decided to make sure there's a Plan B (maybe even a Plan C)? Date Added: 16/04/2009
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