Formula One: Ferrari Outrageous at the Comment of Niki Lauda
It is Ferrari and its drivers in the news once again. Their team ordering issue has been catching more and more fire with every passing day.
Now the team has launched a scornful attack against its former team driver, Niki Lauda, as he criticised the team for following team order during last month at the German Grand Prix.
In the German Grand Prix, Felipe Massa let his team mate Fernando Alonso pass by during the final laps of the race, when the former was leading. Consequently, Massa was able to finish at second place, while his teammate conquered the top place of the podium at Hockenheim.
Well the act was condemned by everyone in the sport from the drivers to the teams, as well as the race fans disapproved such a team strategy. The race stewards handed the team a penalty of 100,000 dollars and passed the case for further investigation to the World Motor Sport Council. The council is going to announce its verdict during the early weeks of next month, which is expected to be real a harsh one, as the same team had been convicted for a similar practice twice
Earlier the team was accused of favouring Michael Schumacher over Rubens Barrichello, as then Schumacher was on the verge of winning the Title Championship. Owing to this act of the team, FIA set new rules of team orders thus forbidding any act that could alter the result of the race.
Now as the same team did this once again, their former driver and three times world champion, Niki Lauda condemned Ferrari for their under rated act last week.
In the response of his condemnation, the team has hit back fiercely accusing Lauda, who won two of the three world titles with the same team of being a ‘hypocrite’.
In ‘Horse Whisperer,’ a column on the Ferrari’s official website, which it mostly used to reply back the critics and negative analysis, Ferrari has said about Lauda, will "indulge in some verbal acrobatics to reposition him in line with the prevailing wind."
The website further criticised their old team member asking where his morals were when many of the other teams and drivers were guilty of even worse hypocritical actions.
The team was very open and straight forward as it said, "This time, good old Niki has missed out on a fine opportunity to keep his mouth shut, given that, when he was a Scuderia driver, the supposed Ferrari driver management policy suited him perfectly.”
The team as well as all the other stake holders of the sport are now looking for the final announcement by WMSC.
The team currently stands at third place in the Constructors’ Standings following Red Bull and McLaren. After this incident in Germany, the team emerged as an even stronger competitor for the title of the season. At the following race of the season, the Hungarian Grand Prix again Alonso was able to finish nicely at the second place and hence had secured a firm fifth position in the Drivers’ Championship of the season.
The top five drivers of the points’ tally so far stand with a difference of just twenty points from each other, making the battle of the cars more fascinating and intriguing. Well, only five more days to go and the a lot of action and drama is to unfold at the Spa Circuit this weekend, as the roaring cars are ready to return on the track after a three weeks’ summer break.
In addition, not to forget, the first week of September is also going to unveil the decision of WMSC for Ferrari, which may or may not directly affect the ongoing fight and situation of the world Championship.
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