RICCARDO PATRESE: Witch-Hunt Against Schumacher

But, but, but ....

"It's good to be the king."

--
If people keep calling Schumi "the King", will he start putting sequins on his driving suit?
(That monaco suit wasn't all that far off.)
And overeating?
(thankyouvermuch)

 

Riccardo wants to be on Michael's good side, so Michael won't go after the one and only record he hasn't yet and which is currently in Riccardo's posession.

 

Cheaters such as MS should be dethroned IMHO...

 

what record is that?

 

Most GPs driven. I believe MS is 2nd, but it would still require him a couple more seasons to get Ricardo.

 

Here's the rest of the story rather than just the headline - 'tis better to know all the info . . .

Carol

Patrese says Schumacher witch-hunted

Former Grand Prix driver Riccardo Patrese believes there is a witch-hunt against Michael Schumacher following the Monaco Grand Prix incident.

The Ferrari driver's reputation was dented after he seemed to deliberately stop on track during qualifying, impeding his rivals. The race stewards penalised Schumacher for the incident, stripping him of pole position and sending him to the back of the grid.

Schumacher was criticised by his colleagues and the media for his behaviour, and his colleagues will ask him to come clean in a meeting of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association at Silverstone.

Patrese, however, has defended Schumacher, saying the seven-time world champion should be believed when he says he made a genuine error.

"What's happening against Schumacher is something from the days of the Inquisition, it's a witch-hunt," the Italian told his country's Autosprint magazine. "Back in my days nothing like this would have happened in F1: dirty moves on track have always occurred to defend a position or a qualifying spot.

"But these were matters we would sort by talking among us - like men - at the following Grand Prix.

"But this is madness to me. How can you decide that Michael stopped in the middle of the track deliberately? He's my friend and I believe him when he says it wasn't foul playing, but all the other drivers, even the worst ones, are going wild in criticizing. Who do they think they are by going so heavily against a seven-time world champion?

"Let me say another thing: in 1990 Senna crashed into Prost at the first turn in Suzuka. Afterwards, he clearly said he did it on purpose. Does it look like Ayrton is less respected because of that? That he isn't a legend in F1?

"Today people say how Schumacher deliberately parked it at Rascasse. I think this is either taking the piss, or it's a sign of how poor is the F1 environment nowadays. People say F1 is in a crisis: of course it is, with people like these."

 

Thanks for the rest of the article. I couldn't agree more with Patrese.

 

Bear in mind Riccardo knows a thing or two about being witch hunted: The Italian prosecutors wanted his head for many years for causing the mass collision at the start to the Monza GP that ultimately cost Ronnie Peterson's life.

 

Riccardo had been excluded by the pilots from the GPDA, the GP of the United States after Monza 1978. with twists, because after investigation it is to prove that Riccardo did not have nothing to do there.

scuse my Inglish.

Riccardo avait été exclu du GP des Etats Unis, par les pilotes du GPDA aprsè le drame da Monza 1978.
après enquete il s'est avérer que Patrese n'y était pour rien.

 

Regardless of Patrese and the issue at Monza in 1978, I think his point is more around the drivers' reaction to Monaco. Schumaker is villified for an act that people BELIEVE was intentional, while Senna is celebrated despite a purposeful act to seal the championship. The "witch hunt" he's referring to is the drive to publicly shame and destroy MS's image by the other drivers, including the backmarkers. In his days, drivers handled these issues among themselves.

 

Well, that's my point: They didn't. He was villified by the drivers for his actions at Monza. A similar situation I would say.

BTW: Bruno is right: Riccardo has been found innocent in the end.

 

He can do it with just one more season

(I think)

 

Somebody would have to dig out the numbers to know for sure. You might be right, but it would require him to finish this season and do the entire next season. And then it comes down to how many GPs they pack into the season.

Of course all this assumes the historians still give him credit for his "Villeneuve year", which officially has been wiped from the FIA's records as if he never drove it.

 

I thought they just excluded him from the results of the championship, or else he would still be 3 or 4 poles down on Senna. In any case, MS is a rat.

 

I thought it was more than that. I believe (but could be wrong of course) that they took away his points and all. Nobody who does statistics seems to care about it and they just count it, but I believe officially he has less victories, points, poles and podiums. Dunno for sure.

Regarding the rat comment: Just got an article from Neue Zuericher Zeitung, a *VERY* conservative and serious Swiss newspaper (read: Washington Post) and boy oh boy are they taking him to the cleaners. NZZ normally only reports on race results and rarely ever comments on a driver or anything. But this time they went to court with a full page destruction.

 

there would be no "witch hunt" had MS not cheated, got caught and penalized for it. simple as that. only a fool would think that his stunt was unintentional.

 

Dr. T is right.

Riccardo has 256 GPs while Michael is on 239. So he will cross him next year if he chooses to extend his contract.

 

Has MS not cheated so many times before people would not be making such assumptions...his reputation precededs him...

 

Wow, I didn't realize it was THAT close. So in essence if he'd choose to drive only a handful more GPs in 2007 he could clinch this one as well.

Something tells me he just might hang on for 2007. He wouldn't even have to finish the season if the car is a lemon or Kimi hard to beat.

 

I think they are saying he parked at Monaco 'on purpose' after reviewing circuit cameras at that corner, his on-board camera, and reading his on-board telemetry, and his laughable actions after it......

 

In 97 they took away his second place in the championship, but not his points, poles, or wins. Basically they did nothing to him.

 

Not sure. Just read an article which said they took away all his points (that's what I remembered too). Anybody know?

 

Yes, all of the points werer taken away from him. Just think, if FIA had done the same thing to Senna, Prost/Ferrari would have been WC in 1990. Such is life.