A Quiet Amendment 08/05/2009 The recent fuss over the FIA apparently introducing the "winner takes all" system for deciding the drivers' championship in 2010 has now been deflated by an amended F1 regulations document being published on the FIA site. It seems that the original clause (article 6.1) instituting Bernie's Big Idea was a mistake and that next year the same system we all know and love (well, tolerate) will continue in force.F1 logoWe can be grateful for that, at least, but I cannot resist pointing out the rather FIA-esque method of correcting the error. Instead of saying, "Oops," and pointing out that the change from points to wins had not been intended, thereafter announcing the amended regulations document, the FIA quietly replaced the original, leaving it to alert bloggers to discover the swap. If the alleged date of the replacement is correct, the change occurred two days ago - suspiciously the same date as the original publication.Strange that no one noticed the alteration, especially in view of the uproar the original document caused and the numbers of readers it must have acquired as a result. One is tempted to believe that it was no mistake at all and the FIA have merely thought better of the plan after seeing how unpopular it was.Yes, I know, it all reeks of conspiracy theories; but that is what the FIA has tended to foster with its political style in the Mosley years. An organization that has so often announced outrageous changes to the formula with the hidden intention of achieving agreement from the teams on something a little less controversial must accept that its motives will always be suspected.And when Formula One Management in the shape of Bernie Ecclestone delights in confusing every issue by saying one thing one moment and another the next (now come on, Bernie, did you or did you not say that the budget cap was bound to increase from 40 million sterling?), one has to ferret out meaning from the clues given, rather than accept anything at its face value.It is hardly the way to run an important international sport, especially one that involves the expenditure of huge amounts of money. But that is F1 today...
Clive
chunter A lot of people will jump to conclusions and may assume that the "medals" system was posted and replaced on purpose, but I agree, I think it's just an honest mistake, and this is just a sign that FIA are not in touch with the way internet technology works, among these ways being that people that look at the same website all the time are looking for subtle changes in them, and notice them almost immediately.Just saying. Date Added: 08/05/2009
Clive Agreed, Chunter. If only the FIA would just admit it when they make a mistake... Date Added: 08/05/2009
doctorvee Remembering during the spygate hearings when the FIA released a document that was supposed to be censored? The problem was that they simply placed black boxes over the offending words, but the words could still be copy and pasted!The FIA are techno-incompetents. If you look at the metadata in the PDF of the latest technical regulations, you learn that you are apparently reading "Draft 1999 F1 Sporting Regulations". Date Added: 08/05/2009
Clive I remember the fiasco of the "censored" transcript only too well, Doctor. The thing is, I could forgive them being techno-incompetents (lovely word) if only they'd admit it. Who could feel badly about an organisation that apologises for its IT mistakes and then corrects them? It's the trying to cover up that I dislike, especially as it reminds me of how recently this very organisation was so furious at McLaren for lying to it. Date Added: 08/05/2009
Björn Svensson Well Clive, i think it is also of a good reason the you and many others, me included, jump to the conclusion that FIA and Mr Ecclestone are trying to fool us.I think they might have tried to fool us by silently releasing the document, and hoping that no one would notice. The "gold-silver-bronze"-system seem to have been a too big issue for the two top men to simply just give it up. Therefore i think they wanted us not to notice it, to be able to say at the start of next season that it all is in the regulations and that we are ignorant for not reading all the rules.Sadly for them, far from all are such ignorant fools as they are. Date Added: 09/05/2009
Clive I think you may have the right of it, Björn. We will probably never know, however. Date Added: 09/05/2009
Nick Goodspeed When dealing with the FIA or F1, how do you expect one NOT to have conspiracy theories! Date Added: 09/05/2009
Clive Hah, good point, Nick! :D Date Added: 09/05/2009
Björn Svensson That's right on the spot Nick, when the politics of this sport has gotten to the point it is, and when every decision taken is put through with a good push of murky politics. What else is there left? Date Added: 09/05/2009
Alianora La Canta Surely the FIA should know by now that there are bloggers out there who scan the site regularly for changes to the dates on the regulations and update people accordingly? Surely they should know from their download statistics that the number of copies taken from their site is nowhere near matching the number of people bemoaning the implied failures inevitably documented within those bits and bytes?OK, maybe they don't know how to find out their web statistics. I for one would be happy to enlighten them - and to tell them how to write regulations that might allow teams to consider entering a budget-capped regime without need for prophecy or macroeconomic manipulation while I'm there.By the way, it looks like there will be formal criteria enabling purely electronic media to get accreditation in 2010. Do you think the FIA will get the message about the folly of hiding information like this when such sites begin working in the paddock? Date Added: 10/05/2009
Clive Alianora: I doubt that the FIA are even aware that there are such things as bloggers watching their site. And, when one considers the existing evidence of their computer skills, it becomes dubious that they look at their web statistics too.As you have demonstrated before, you are certainly capable of designing a more sensible set of rules, including how to make a budget cap work. If we ever get the chance, Ali, we'll elect you!Amazing that the FIA are considering giving accreditation to "a limited number of websites" in the future. Of course, that probably means the online extensions of existing print publications... Date Added: 10/05/2009
Alianora La Canta Unfortunately, Clive, I think you are right about the FIA's inadequacy concerning matters computational.I am flattered by your statement of support, but I suspect that I am going to have to wait a bit before designs on the FIA presidency, or any position likely to have an influence thereon, become possible...To be fair, there's already a beta version of online accreditation in place for 2009. It doesn't surprise me if the FIA puts up rules discouraging unfamiliar sources from applying, though. It is one of those things that reduces the possibility of the FIA's power diffusing through the overt acknowledgement of alternate voices. For example, I doubt I'm going to be able to use FIA accreditation to cover the British Grand Prix from the paddock. However, I wouldn't be surprised if at least one alternative web source managed to get in regardless of how the criteria get framed. Date Added: 10/05/2009
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