Ferrari denies having a manual adjustment device...

Red Bull accuses, Ferrari denies...war of nerves?

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/101690

 

Wouldn't surprise me (From any team, mind).

 

Hmmm...... Dr Marko is going to get in to trouble if he's not very, very careful. He's a loose cannon and that doesn't go down well with the others IMO.

You can't just go round accusing named teams of cheating ("Bringing the sport into disrepute"). You can imply it without naming names, but the Ferrari guys question at the end, "did they really accuse us of cheating?" is telling. Much behind the scenes debating to follow I'm sure.

Wouldn't be surprised if he gets slapped wrists from Charlie on this one. Or the story will just die out by itself.

Cheers,
Ian

 

If it's there, it isn't working.

At least not on Massa's car.

 

Even I have to admit that's pretty funny.....

Cheers,
Ian

 

well said

 

Marko is always bitter about something.

 

I think the implication of Marko's statement would be his thinking Ferrari are behind the continued examination of Red Bull.

 

Yes agreed, it's just tit for tat.

 

+1....it's only cheating if you get caught.

 

Lol! Excellent!

 

I saw the article early on, saw it was Marko, paid it no mind....

 

I find the notion of a proxy war between FIA through Ferrari and Ecclestone through Red Bull more and more plausible.

 

You would think the stewards and FIA would no for sure. Seems like a smoke screen.

 

The quote "never run anything like that" in F1 means that:: they might have something absolutely identical except for a single threaded part that uses a left hand thread rather than a right hand thread.

 

It all sounds like a case of desperately pointing the finger elsewhere in the hope of distracting the attention away form one's self, to Me!

Guilty schoolboys have a habit of doing this exact same thing when they are desperate to get away with doing something wrong: "Weren't Me!, I ain't the only one!, He done it first!".

Sling a load of mud around and hope that some of it sticks somewhere!


If Ferrari genuinely don't have anything like this system on their car, then Helmut Marko has left himself wide open for a lawsuit that could prove embarrassing for Red Bull.

I for one, am expecting a statement from Red Bull in the next couple of days disassociating themselves from the comments made, amidst claims that the comments were misinterpreted and misquoted, and that they would never accuse a rival of cheating in such a crass manner.


Of course, another question this raises is: Why is Helmut Marko so convinced that Ferrari run an identical system on their car? How does he know what's on the Ferrari?





After a bit of digging around, this is interesting: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8608272.stm (From 7 April 2010 20:42 UK):

Formula 1's governing body has warned that any system used to adjust a car's suspension and ride height between qualifying and races would be illegal.

The FIA says they contravene Articles 34.5 and 3.15 of the F1 regulations.

They would give cars that qualified with a light fuel load an advantage by giving them sufficient ground clearance when the tank was filled for the race.

The move comes after McLaren accused Red Bull of having a ride-height device, which Red Bull strongly denied.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner said at the Malaysian Grand Prix that he could "absolutely guarantee" his cars did not use such a system, adding they would protest if any team did use one.

The FIA said on Wednesday: "Any system, device or procedure, the purpose and/or the effect of which is to change the set up of the suspension whilst the car is under parc ferme conditions, will be deemed to contravene Article 34.5 of the F1 Sporting Regulations."



This has now been followed by: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/19032217 (From 28 July 2012) :

Red Bull have dismissed as a "non-issue" the latest in a series of controversies to engulf the team.

It has emerged that at June's Canadian GP, governing body the FIA asked Red Bull to modify its front suspension.


The FIA found it could be changed by hand when rules say it must be done with tools. Changes are banned between qualifying and race.

Boss Christian Horner said: "We never changed the ride height in parc ferme. It is a non-issue."

Asked why the suspension could be changed by hand when the rules state specifically that must not be possible, Horner, Red Bull's team principal, said: "There are a lot of parts that are changed manually on the car, but a tool was used. The suspension has never been changed once it's in parc ferme. Never.

"Honestly, it's completely trivial. "


The thing is, as I see it, it's not trivial and it's not a non-issue! The rules state that it shouldn't be on the car at all, whether you intend to use it or not!:

Article 34.5 of the Sporting Regulations states: "In order that the scrutineers may be completely satisfied that no alterations have been made to the suspension systems or aerodynamic configuration of the car (with the exception of the front wing) whilst in post qualifying parc ferme, it must be clear from physical inspection that changes cannot be made without the use of tools."



If you never use the mechanism, why have it on the car at all?, that makes no sense when you consider the teams desperate attempts at weight saving! It's like carrying a spare tyre on the car that you'll never use - why would you do it?

And unlike the old: Benneton/Schumacher/traction control in the engines ECU menu when the use of traction control was banned (but having traction control actually on the car wasn't in itself banned!) scandal from way back yonder, this time the mechanism found on the Red Bull is specifically banned!

It doesn't matter how many denial statements and: "It's all trivial!" statements Red Bull put out, it all sounds very fishy to Me!

 

Red Bull always cry when they have their cars beaten.

 

The hell with Marko and Red Bull, Forza Ferrari and Alonso.

By the way the Massa comment by Korr was hilarious.

 

+1

September can't come soon enough.

 

Theres always this cheating crap going on, red bull are struggling to get their ship in order at the moment and they are rattled.