I've posted here before about my disappointment when the desperation to win means that the boundaries of sporting endeavour are transgressed, but never before have I seen it done with such blatant disregard for an opponent's safety, and potentially his life, as was demonstrated by Michael Schumacher in Hungary this afternoon. To have it, yet again, compounded by treating the watching public with utter contempt by both Schumacher and his team defending his actions, merely adds one last shiny turd on an already enormous shit cake.
Evidently his 'plan' was to move to the right early to 'show Rubens he planned to defend the right hand side'. You've got to wonder then why he moved to the right when Barrichello was already alongside him. Spare us the defence, for Christ's sake. We know what we're watching. Schumacher has, yet again, crossed the line between a will to win and such desperate, obsessive need to win, by so far that he's apparently prepared to put the life of an experienced, should-be-respected opponent in jeopardy.
He's been demoted by ten places on the grid for the next GP. Barrichello's instant reaction in the car was that he should be black flagged. Well, yes. But not just for the ongoing race. If he can't handle the reality of the place his career is in, and the reality of the qualities of the car he's in, then he should be removed from F1 before he causes a serious accident or worse.
Showing posts with label Michael Schumacher. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michael Schumacher. Show all posts
Sunday, 1 August 2010
Tuesday, 27 July 2010
Cheats prospering quite nicely, thank you
I watched the German Grand Prix on Sunday almost in its entirety. You can probably guess at which point I switched it off. It started as a race with moments of excitement but deteriorated first into a procession and then into farce with Ferrari's blatant manipulation of the result. How utterly unpalateable to debase what should be sport through such bare-faced mendacity. Only Eddie Jordan, a man for whom I have, apart from his choice of shirts, a great deal of respect, had the strength of character to use the word 'cheating' outright, but let's be under no illusions, that's exactly what it was.
The problem with Ferrari is that they think they're bigger than the sport and have, through several previous lightly- or unpunished transgressions in the past, been encouraged in that belief by the milquetoast response of the FIA in dealing with them. Remember Schumacher trying to push Villeneuve into the wall at Jerez in 1997? Fortunately it went wrong for him and he lost out on the title, before being stripped of his second place in the Championship (he must have been gutted!)
Then there was, again, Schumacher's barging off of David Coulthard in Argentina, 1998. Entirely unpunished. And Schumacher again, parking across the last corner in qualifying at Monaco in 2006 and being demoted to the back of the grid (a punishment Jean Todt called 'disgusting'!) but still being allowed to race despite his recklessness, and pick up 4 points. And, though I can't remember the Grand Prix exactly, there was a further example where Schumacher (again!) delayed taking a drive-through penalty until the last lap, crossing the finish line and winning the race while doing so.
And yet Ferrari still somehow remain the biggest name in this tarnished sport. I realise they're not the only team doing so but compare the response of the F1 authorities to their transgressions with that of other sports' treatments of their big names. Rio Ferdinand, a big name at a huge club, banned for eight months for missing a drugs test. The standard 2 year, then life bans in athletics for drugs cheats. Cantona's nine month ban, fine and loss of French team place for drop-kicking a Palace fan, an act for which he should have in fact received a polite round of applause and a £5 postal order.*
If F1 wants to retain its place in the motorsport sun, and keep what remains of its reputation intact, it must amend the rules to allow the team orders which most of them carry out anyway, or start dealing properly with its transgressors, whoever they are. Otherwise they'd better get used to people on the podium 'celebrating' their points like Massa did, with the face of a lad who's just been told he's adopted or something, poor bastard.
*This is clearly a joke, before you write in. £5 would not be nearly enough.
The problem with Ferrari is that they think they're bigger than the sport and have, through several previous lightly- or unpunished transgressions in the past, been encouraged in that belief by the milquetoast response of the FIA in dealing with them. Remember Schumacher trying to push Villeneuve into the wall at Jerez in 1997? Fortunately it went wrong for him and he lost out on the title, before being stripped of his second place in the Championship (he must have been gutted!)
Then there was, again, Schumacher's barging off of David Coulthard in Argentina, 1998. Entirely unpunished. And Schumacher again, parking across the last corner in qualifying at Monaco in 2006 and being demoted to the back of the grid (a punishment Jean Todt called 'disgusting'!) but still being allowed to race despite his recklessness, and pick up 4 points. And, though I can't remember the Grand Prix exactly, there was a further example where Schumacher (again!) delayed taking a drive-through penalty until the last lap, crossing the finish line and winning the race while doing so.
And yet Ferrari still somehow remain the biggest name in this tarnished sport. I realise they're not the only team doing so but compare the response of the F1 authorities to their transgressions with that of other sports' treatments of their big names. Rio Ferdinand, a big name at a huge club, banned for eight months for missing a drugs test. The standard 2 year, then life bans in athletics for drugs cheats. Cantona's nine month ban, fine and loss of French team place for drop-kicking a Palace fan, an act for which he should have in fact received a polite round of applause and a £5 postal order.*
If F1 wants to retain its place in the motorsport sun, and keep what remains of its reputation intact, it must amend the rules to allow the team orders which most of them carry out anyway, or start dealing properly with its transgressors, whoever they are. Otherwise they'd better get used to people on the podium 'celebrating' their points like Massa did, with the face of a lad who's just been told he's adopted or something, poor bastard.
*This is clearly a joke, before you write in. £5 would not be nearly enough.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)