Quoting the article again; Some down to the tires for sure but we've also seen it be effective on some occasions. I know you despise it and IIRC the poll we did had us split at exactly 50% for & against and I'm kind of easy either way. As I've said before, if it had led to constant "back & forth" I'd be howling louder than anyone..... Cheers, Ian
I have not found proof of this on the net, but it is a long time ago when MS retired and I am positive Bernie stated he was concerned about his TV ratings with loosing Germany. What I have found is proof that Bernie does indeed manipulate drivers into teams if he feels it is necessary: and And here is proof of what Bernie was worried about and how MS affects the German TV ratings: And this discusses the impact of LH on British TV ratings and the fall in Germany due to MS retiring: Pete
Firstly, we all know Bernie is a very good "wind up merchant" - He says much with tongue either firmly in cheek or for his own reasons..... I wouldn't be at all surprised if he voiced concerns about MS retiring & German TV just after he'd signed a new contract with 'em - A little inside joke as it were.... Having said that, it's pretty well known that he's helped many teams over the years (with $). Remember, he's contracted to supply at least 20 cars (10 teams) at each race or it costs him money..... And he can't have that! IIRC Arrows, Minardi, Shadow and many others have all been recipients of his largesse. I'm also sure all the teams listen to him when he suggests drivers, and may even have pushed one or two on teams he's helped over the years for whatever reason [There's always a reason with Bernie ] However, that's a million miles from telling Ron he had to hire Lewis as originally claimed - Didn't happen for the reasons I gave above IMO. Cheers, Ian
Let's just say that in certain instances Bernie and the teams have common interests. They all swim in the same water and drink from the same cup. To mix (yet another) metaphore
