+1 *That* was some bad ****. JMB was ousted in the early '90's IIRC. It doesn't appear that there's an heir-in-waiting willing to step up and do the "same"....Yet anyway. This could get really nasty. Or, my guess: they'll kiss and make up and we'll never know what really went down. No 2 tier BS and the cap's going to be "flexible", as least for some teams.... Cheers, Ian
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Mosley it's all here Dave, well what little we know about.. Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you mad...one day!
Not to sure who voted what way in europe, not that it mattered he fixed it, It was just before Bernie U turned and started to support him...
Excuse my error it was, of course, Jean-Marie Balestre not Jean P. Balestre. For those to young to remember the FISA-FIA wars, suffice it to say this is not the first time the teams and the FIA have been in a power struggle. Back then a truce was crafted by Bernie and Enzo Ferrari that led to Max, the ex-team owner, becoming the head of the FIA when JMB was pushed/bowed out. Santayana was right
I'll give you a little more courtesy than to say your comments are "BS." Hoping you might give equal courtesy in the spirit of collegial comraderie. Re: 2. above, your comments are consistent with my premise - Ferrari needs and wants a highly visible presence in motorsports with the relevant demographic. Based upon your comments above it's not apparent what you think is "BS" about that. Re: 3. if you check your history book you'll see that it's been a very long time since Ferrari has had a major successful presence in endurance racing which is highly visible with the mainstream viewer. Specifically, the last time ferrari was at the grand daddy of endurance racing (Lemans) they had their asses kicked by american iron and haven't been back since - you might recall '66-'69 when Ford GT40s trounced Ferrari's prior dominance. Checking my math now, 1969 is 40 years ago. American's don't watch much endurance or touring car racing - it's pretty rare to see any of that televised in the mainstream sports media here. Heck, they barely watch F1. However, the rest of the world watches F1 with a very keen interest and to a lesser degree (considerably lesser) touring car and endurance racing. F1 is the crown jewel for marketing the ferrari brand within the target demographic of the Ferrari new-car buyer. No other venue comes anywhere close, at least not right now. In the past, perhaps yes, but not in 2009. Ultimately, it's about selling more cars off the assembly line. That's what pays for it all and everyone knows it, but doesn't always admit it.
+1 Aye, aye. Correctomundo - in business (and in sport and life to a large degree) it's all about ego, control and money. You can be absolutely sure that's what's driving outcomes behind the scenes, not what's good for the public/environment/voters/disadvantaged/taxpayers/etc. If you don't know that basic fact then you ain't been in business in any meaningful way.
Yes. Let me give you the Reader's Digest version: F1 is Ferrari's way to promote and sell its road cars. There is no other motorsport, which would provide a similar global TV coverage. Whether Ferrari wins in F1 is secondary to them being in F1. Otherwise they wouldn't have survived 20 years without a title.
LMAO..your probably quite correct as well, and I will give you that, because you were right about Max's staying power, he is like Teflon :nothing sticks, and to shift him you would need a small tactical nuclear weapon.
People look at these issues with today's perspective where instant gratification and change isn't fast enough. The reality is, that (to quote Guns'n'Roses) "some things never change". 60 years of Ferrari in F1 is one, Mad Max and the evil dwarf is another. Until death do us apart.
Mmmm, so I didnt bother with a calculator - 70% not 90%, never mind The fact of the diffuser is that several teams including Renault had a double diffuser designed previously, but the FIA TOLD THEM THE DESIGN WAS ILLEGAL AND NOT TO PURSUE IT AS IT WOULD BE BANNED. Then this season they let three different teams get away with having it anyway, leaving the rest with no choice but to develop a diffuser themselves, but with no testing available, thus making the task ridiculously difficult. Racing is fair when all get the same opportunity -this flagrant abuse of the rules makes the racing unfair, and to the majority, not a minority. Plus - read the transcript of the hearing - it is clearly a fact that the legality of the design was questioned, as the diffuser design created a clear gap in the reference planes which are NOT ALLOWED within the technical regulations, and thus ILLEGAL mousecatcher. F1 is the premier motorsport, and should be contested by teams with the best possible designs and the fastest cars, it should not be decided in courtrooms and not by arbitrary, biased decision making. As for my comment about us pulling out immediately - why is that childish, the FIA are treating us like morons, and even stated they would get by without us - so why not let em get on with it - F1 would be finished without Ferrari and everyone knows it, do you really think anyone will watch it if Ferrari go? The fans will just switch over to whatever series Ferrari chose to join or, I hope, start for themselves. FORZA FERRARI
Let's also not forget one not so little factor when it comes to Max's EGO. If anybody here thinks he's forgotten about how he was treated by team priniples up and down the paddock after his little tryst in a hotel room, they are sadly mistaken! HE HAS NOT FORGOTTEN!!!
This just hit me. Ferrari fully intend to leave F1 and join a circus, which fully explains 2008 and 2009.
