http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5jaCGHwCPs9EzQvW43xLkMupW9UqQ What a shame after such a lengthy F1 career and the first with a new team principal!!!! I don't suppose RD is too happy!
His unhappiness is probably more a result of being caught than anything else. McLaren doesn't cease to amaze me.
I'd like for once for there not to be a scapegoat. I'd also like for once for companies to step up to the plate. "Yeah, Dave has been with us for 35 years...it's really the first time that he made a really bad choice in 35 years, so we suspended him without pay for two weeks. We got our points stripped as a team and as a driver for that race, and really that's big enough a punishment. See here, Dave has been with the team for 35 years and this is the first time his name went to print...sorry and all that, we take our licks and bruises as they come, but let's not burn witches where there aren't any. Mclaren screwed up, Dave screwed up, Lewis screwed up. We got our just deserts and let's move on like adults, yes?" Instead we got Hamilton blubbering like a pansy and threatening to quit F1, and McLaren firing a guy with a spotless CV that spanned almost 4 decades and an endless parade of garbage from FIA. FIA's crap was really really bad last year, and now they are hell bent for leather for macking a mockery of their mockery of last year. And who here wouldn't lie to an FIA steward? These guys are hopelessly clueless on a good day and totally out of their depth any other day...FIA stewards are cosmically inept...COSMICALLY INEPT...in that FIA could not find more inept people to do what they do in the entire COSMOS. I'd lie to them every day of the week and twice on Raceday. That SpeedTV broke the news tells as much about Speed as it does FIA Stewards.
Anyone who's been involved with any kind of serious motorsport - As I keep saying, they'll forgive technical infractions, but "misleading" 'em (using the nicer term) is an absolute NO-NO! Having said that, I disagree that Dave was simply the fall guy - It seems he basically told his 24 year old driver to "lie" - No one else did, he did - And that must be a dismissable offense as in any other reputable business. [How "reputable" the F1 business is remains another question of course ] Furthermore, Charlie is one of the few guys in a position of power who still has the respect of the teams - He really isn't any kind of idiot. While I agree that there have been some terrible decisions over the years they really have improved the requirements for becoming a steward over the past few years. From the F1 site: I don't know the qualifications for obtaining a super license, but at least they're no longer appointed by the NSA using the "old boy network" as in the old days..... Cheers, Ian
