WMSC to decide Ferrari’s fate after Team Ordering
Since the German Grand Prix, Ferrari has been under immense amount of pressure due to scathing criticism coming in from all corners. Ferrari was accused for following team order for which they were not only penalized but a complaint was forwarded to the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) by FIA stewards for further investigation and confirmation.
Former Ferrari driver Niki Lauda now believes that the Italian team is expected to be heavily punished by the WMSC which is going to give its verdict in September.
As an initial punishment by the race stewards, Ferrari had already received a $100,000 fine as Felipe Massa, who was leading the German Grand Prix, moved aside during the final laps of the race to give way to teammate Fernando Alonso who ultimately bagged victory on the day. Even after the initial punishment that was announced, the case was forwarded to the WMSC which is scheduled to meet on September 8 for further investigation on the issue. The verdict will be announced only two days before the start of Ferrari’s home Grand Prix.
Lauda, while talking to the official Formula One website explained that the team definitely did something against the rules and believed that as long as the rules did not change, everyone must obey them. He further went on to say that if any of the teams failed to do obey the rules; the team must be punished in order to prove that FIA was unbiased and impartial. Lauda added that he was satisfied by the way the management reacted by giving immediate punishment to Ferrari for what they did. Furthermore, he was sure that the team would get a pasting from the World Council as well.
So far, a variety of opinions have come forward regarding the issue. Seven times Formula One Champion Michael Schumacher favoured Ferrari by saying that they did what was best in their interest. However, Nikki Lauda holds the opinion that Ferrari’s action was simply an insult not only to Formula One fans but to FIA as well.
One must not forget that the same team was accused for ordering earlier as well when Michael Schumacher was given a chance to win by his teammate Rubens Barrichello. Following their action, the FIA forbade team ordering or any such action by any Formula One team which could alter the result of the race. Well, none of the teams had been accused of such an act since the rule was tailored till Ferrari did this again.
As Lauda sees the whole matter, he told that there are two models of racing in Formula One as a team. One is to play it politically as the Ferrari team does. As per the second design, both the drivers are given equal opportunities which make the sport more exciting for the fans. Red Bull Racing is following the second strategy by giving equal opportunities to both its drivers to compete against each other.
He concluded by saying that firm regulations and fair decisions in the game are principle that people always wanted to see. This is because it makes Formula One a crowd puller sport. People come to see the best men driving the best cars, while wishing to see ‘the best man win’ and does not desire to see a mock show which has a preset ending.
As the race ended in Hockenheim, the stewards accused Ferrari of breaching Article 39.1 of the 2010 Sporting Regulations, according to which team orders are strictly ban as it interferes with the result of a race, altering the overall title winner of the season. Furthermore, the team was charged of violating Article 151 C. of the International Sporting Code as their act had brought the sport into disrepute.
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