Formula 1, back to the racing
15/09/07 14:20 Filed in: World
After all of the quite frankly sad goings on in the
world of Formula 1 this week, we finally get back to
what is important, the race!
Yes, I am a big fan of f1 racing. This came as quite
a surprise to some of my work colleges (and may come
as a surprise to you too, dear reader). It and down
hill skiing are about the only sports I'm really
interested in. And yes, while I don't drive (apart
from people up the wall 
I am a bit of a petrol head too!
So yes, this week has not been a good one for f1. It seems that once again we have a sport where things are not decided in the field of play, but in the courts, the other I'm thinking of is english club football (about which I care nothing at all). Thursdays announcement was the worst possible news for the sport as a whole. The punishment of losing all championship points, is very harsh and if McLaren where cheating, something that I don't believe, then why are they still be allowed to race. And what about the drivers championship points, again why should they be kept when the teams aren't? The problem here is that f1 has had this odd mix of team and driver championship's. It's this mix that gives rise to team orders, which I think are totally wrong (and now against the rules of the spot), but they still happen. And i can't think of any other sport where you get this mix.
Any way it seems the Ferrari (sorry their web site seems to think it knows better than you what size your browser window should be, hence I won't link to them from my site) have won this years constitutors championship be default almost. They have won because they have the best lawyers, but because they have the best cars and drivers. Can this be anything more than an empty victory for them? Well sadly no, it means more money for them, which is what of course it's all about. Now days it's not the winning or the taking part that counts, it's getting paid!
Anyway the way I see it, it is now McLaren's job to come first and second in all the this sessions races, just to show Ferrari how empty their victory really is.
Mmmm, you can see which side I'm on can't you?
However all of this was forgotten with todays qualifying at Spa, made me forget all of this. The Spa circuit is with out a doubt the best track in the whole championship and it was sorely missed last year. You have a wonderful long track, with long punishing flat out stretches, set in breathtaking scenery. This is what racing should be about, man and machine against the track and man in front of you, not lawyers in back rooms. It's a shame that Ferrari have forgotten that.
I am a bit of a petrol head too!
So yes, this week has not been a good one for f1. It seems that once again we have a sport where things are not decided in the field of play, but in the courts, the other I'm thinking of is english club football (about which I care nothing at all). Thursdays announcement was the worst possible news for the sport as a whole. The punishment of losing all championship points, is very harsh and if McLaren where cheating, something that I don't believe, then why are they still be allowed to race. And what about the drivers championship points, again why should they be kept when the teams aren't? The problem here is that f1 has had this odd mix of team and driver championship's. It's this mix that gives rise to team orders, which I think are totally wrong (and now against the rules of the spot), but they still happen. And i can't think of any other sport where you get this mix.
Any way it seems the Ferrari (sorry their web site seems to think it knows better than you what size your browser window should be, hence I won't link to them from my site) have won this years constitutors championship be default almost. They have won because they have the best lawyers, but because they have the best cars and drivers. Can this be anything more than an empty victory for them? Well sadly no, it means more money for them, which is what of course it's all about. Now days it's not the winning or the taking part that counts, it's getting paid!
Anyway the way I see it, it is now McLaren's job to come first and second in all the this sessions races, just to show Ferrari how empty their victory really is.
Mmmm, you can see which side I'm on can't you?
However all of this was forgotten with todays qualifying at Spa, made me forget all of this. The Spa circuit is with out a doubt the best track in the whole championship and it was sorely missed last year. You have a wonderful long track, with long punishing flat out stretches, set in breathtaking scenery. This is what racing should be about, man and machine against the track and man in front of you, not lawyers in back rooms. It's a shame that Ferrari have forgotten that.
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