F1 - Ferrari Owners' Club

F1 Fumblings
by Winston D'Arcy

18.11.07

On Friday Kimi Raikkonen's title was finally confirmed when the FIA threw out McLaren's appeal against the results of the Brazilian GP, where one Williams and two Bimmers were found to contain fuel that was too cool, or not. The "court" decided not to impose a penalty as they had sufficient doubt as to both the temperature of the fuel on board the car and to the true ambient temperature. Also McLaren's appeal was inadmissible as they should have protested the results, not appealed the Stewards decision, as only parties directly involved are permitted to do so. Whatever, no-one who follows my principal that "justice" is only done when it doesn't spoil the show can have been at all surprised.

It's going to be interesting to see what happens in the Renault/McLaren espionage case where a McLaren engineer left to join Renault and took with him floppy discs containing McLaren data, at least 15 engineers at Renault saw these. Following the precedent set by the McLaren/Ferrari case, the only logical outcome would be for a loopy fine to be imposed on Renault and for them and their drivers to be stripped of their 2007 points. (McLaren's drivers were only let off because they co-operated with the FIA). Of course nothing of the kind will happen. My guess is that a rebuke will be issued, but no penalty imposed.

Then that only leaves the arbitration over Toro Rosso's and Super Aguri's use of customer cars, or not. Spyker protested at the first GP of the year in Australia. Eight months later nothing has happened, though Prodrive's plans to run customer McLarens seem dead in the water. What is truly astonishing is that F1 carries on blithely throughout all this. I suspect that if someone were to mount a serious legal challenge the whole thing would be found to be nothing more than smoke and mirrors, but who, with the means to do so, would want to do it and why? This is how it all survives.

Away from the court it was a big week for Ferrari fans, starting with the announcement that following his year's sabbatical Ross Brawn is to join Honda as Technical Director. This was followed minutes later by Scuderia Ferrari's announcement of the new management structure. Stefano Domenicali will take on the role of Director of the Gestione Sportiva, a position temporarily held by Jean Todt. This surely would have been the only job at Ferrari that Brawn would have considered. Technical director Mario Almondo will now be the team's Operations Director, while Aldo Costa will take on the role of Technical Director. Gilles Simon will be Ferrari's Engine Director.

Ross says he took the Honda job because it relishes the challenge and that a return to Ferrari would have been too comfortable. It would be interesting to know whether there really was an opportunity for him at Maranello as Ferrari must be feeling cock-a-hoop after stealing the Championships from under McLaren's nose. There is no doubt that this was a terrific achievement, especially in the first year without Schuey and Ross, though the team did look a bit shaky on occasion and there were some poor tactical calls. It may be heretical to say so, but if McLaren had been run as a team with a clear No.1 driver as Ferrari finally were, then things might have turned out very different. We need to thank Ross for his huge contribution to Ferrari's success - six consecutive constructors' titles and five drivers', and hope that he doesn't repeat it!

Speaking of Schuey, he had a go on Casey Stoner's MotoGP Championship winning Ducati at Valencia a couple of weeks ago and was only five seconds off the lap record! This by a 38 year old with almost no experience of the sport! If that wasn't enough to remind us what a megastar he is, this week he returned to F1, testing at Barcelona for two days and was ....... quickest. This in his first proper go in the car, though he did admit it took him a couple of laps to get his eye in. We have a direct comparison because Massa was there. Raikkonen wasn't which is probably just as well.

Not everyone was impressed by these fantastic achievements however, Niki Lauda dismissed them as nothing more than a publicity stunt for Barcode tabs. What is it with ex-F1 Champs (and Sir S. Moss)? All year we've had to put up with a stream of drivel from many of them, much of it in the form of "advice" to Lewis Hamilton. My opinion of them isn't as extreme as Max's, but I do think that they should be occasionally generous about today's drivers, but mostly maintain a regal and dignified silence rather than diminish their reputations by appearing mean-spirited and curmudgeonly.

The Barcelona tests were interesting because they were the first with no traction control - all teams must run a "control" ECU next year. Drivers reported that the cars were harder to drive, but more enjoyable, however I can't believe it will be long before the teams come up with some other way of controlling wheelspin, almost certainly using the differential and clutch. Traction control was banned once before, but re-admitted because it was impossible to police. Schuey's experience without traction control was the nominal reason for his test. This is a touch ironical as there were persistent rumours that the Benetton team, for whom he drove at the time, were one the Traction Police found most slippery!

Back on-track at Barcelona, Ferrari finished on top with Massa quickest on the final day, Michael having came, seen, conquered and gone home. Things were pretty close with Kovalainen just a gnat's behind for Renault ahead of Montagny for Toyota and Vettel fourth for Toro Rosso-Ferrari. The driver's market is still in a state of flux as Alonso hasn't landed yet. McLaren, perhaps mischievously, say they are in no hurry to settle their driver line up. If they do nothing they will have Hamilton and de la Rosa next year who are more than up to the job. Who can blame McLaren for having a little fun at the other teams' expense after the year they've had?

I was astonished to read that Renault's sales of road cars did not increase at all as a result of winning the F1 titles two years in succession, and they actually fell in Spain in 2006. If it doesn't mean you shift more cars then what is the point of being in F1? Technology transfer has always been a dubious claim, made even more so by the removal of technology and freezing engine development, soon for ten years.

The successful F1 teams are mostly satellite re-badged former independant racers. Toyota, the one set up from scratch and said to be closest in ethos and operation to its parent, is a dismal failure, yet the parent is the most successful car manufacturer in the world. This hardly suggests successful cross-fertilization between the two disciplines. It seems to me that there is only one car manufacturer who benefits from being in F1 and that's Ferrari.

Finally, doesn't it fill your heart with joy that two tiny Italian companies (the other being Ducati) can still beat the best that Japan (and the world) can come up with!

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