From ITV-F1.com
Ferrari has warned that Formula 1’s reputation
may be damaged if Kimi Raikkonen loses his 2007 drivers’ world title in
the court room.
During the FIA Court of Appeal hearing convened to establish the
result of the Brazilian Grand Prix following the so-called ‘cool fuel’
row, in London on Thursday, Ferrari’s representative Nigel Tozzi QC,
said it would be a "serious injustice" if Lewis Hamilton inherited the
title as a result of Nico Rosberg, Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld’s
potential disqualification.
"This is not the way a world championship should be won," Tozzi said at the hearing.
"Mr Hamilton himself, potentially the only beneficiary, has said
very clearly he does not want to win the championship this way. Mr
Martin Whitmarsh (McLaren F1 CEO) in an interview yesterday said
‘finding a way to award the world drivers’ championship to Lewis
retrospectively, is not at all what this is about’."
"It could be said McLaren are shameless hypocrites devoid of any
integrity, or maybe what their representatives have said should be
taken at face value," said Tozzi.
"If what they want is clarity, then by all means let them have that,
but do not allow them to have the world championship this way. It would be a serious injustice to Mr Raikkonen should the world
title be taken away from him, a fact recognised by Mr Hamilton and Mr
(Fernando) Alonso."
Tozzi went on to argue that the integrity of Formula 1 was at stake over the issue.
"It would be highly damaging for the sport if the title were to be won this way. The fans would probably feel it had been achieved by grubby manoeuvring by the lawyers rather than by skill on the track."
Following the hearing, McLaren’s CEO Martin Whitmarsh defended his
team’s arguments, stating that it had based it on previous precedents
borne of similar circumstances.
“At today’s hearing all parties had the opportunity to present
evidence and make arguments based on their respective perception of the
facts,” he said.
“It now lies with the FIA International Court of Appeal to deliberate and issue a decision. As I made clear prior to the appeal, the team was seeking to
clarify the regulatory uncertainty that has arisen from a decision of
the FIA Stewards at the 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix and not to win the
Driver’s World Championship.
"Our lawyer’s argument that an appropriate penalty would be a
disqualification of the cars is based on the fact that this is
ordinarily what has occurred during the last 20 years in Formula 1 when
there was a breach of a technical regulation during a race. Consequently, while this was the only appropriate argument from a
legal point of view, it’s not our ultimate goal in respect of today’s
hearing.”
2003 – The good old days, with Schumacher, Montoya and Raikkonen. Kimi lost out on the WDC by just 3 points.
But
the Formula One supremo has warned that he would consider retiring from
the sport if the verdict gave Lewis Hamilton the title.
"I
don’t think that the Formula One fans would like a championship to be
won because the temperature of the fuel, which can’t be measured
anyway, is possibly 5C out," Ecclestone was quoted as saying the The Times.
"If anybody thinks that’s the best thing for Formula One, then I’d have a very serious thought about me retiring."
Hamilton’s
McLaren team lodged the appeal following a decision by the race
stewards in Brazil to not penalise the BMW Sauber and Williams teams
after temperature readings from their fuel rigs were under the
variation permitted in the rules. Hamilton finished seventh in the race and lost the title to Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen by one point.
The
Briton finished behind Williams driver Nico Rosberg and the BMW Sauber
pairing of Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica, and should the three
drivers have their results nullified, Hamilton could win enough points
to be crowned world champion.
Ecclestone, however, reckons nothing will change.
"I
don’t think anything’s going to happen if it goes through," Ecclestone
added. "In my opinion, they don’t have to change the results of the
race – it’s an infringement of the regulations.
"On
the same weekend, McLaren used an extra set of tyres, which they
shouldn’t have used – that was an infringement – so maybe if anything
does happen at this Court of Appeal, maybe they’ll treat it exactly the
same as the tyres."
From Autosport.com
Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen should not lose too much sleep over an appeal hearing on Thursday that could hand his Formula One crown to Briton Lewis Hamilton in a row over ‘cool fuel’, according to former champion Damon Hill.
"I think it’s very, very unlikely that will happen," 1996 champion Hill told Reuters when asked about that possibility.
"We know who the 2007 world champion is."
The judges at the hearing, moved from Paris to London because of a French transport strike, could disqualify the three BMW Sauber and Williams drivers who beat Hamilton in last month’s season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix.
If McLaren’s Hamilton is promoted from seventh to fourth, the 22-year-old rookie would leapfrog Finn Raikkonen in the final standings to become the youngest champion. However, the stewards do not have to move Hamilton up the race order and the Briton has said he wants to win the title on the track and not in a courtroom.
Raikkonen, winner of more Grands Prix than any other driver this year, beat his rival by a single point after clawing back a 17-point deficit with two races to go. McLaren appealed after stewards at Interlagos imposed no sanction on BMW Sauber and Williams for having fuel that appeared to be too cool.
"I think it’s worth a shot having a go, at least just to establish a principle, but I don’t think it will change anything," said Hill of the appeal.
Max Mosley, head of the governing FIA, also felt Hamilton was unlikely to be handed the title although Thursday’s judges will reach an independent decision.
"Even if they excluded those cars, they are not obliged to reclassify Hamilton," he told the BBC last month. "There’s absolutely no need, if they don’t wish to, to change the position that Hamilton was in."
Raikkonen, often monosyllabic in his relations with the media, has said little about the matter but Hill recognised him as a deserved champion.
"I understand that the public want flamboyant characters in sport and it’s very important to have that, but I do think also that there has got to be a space for someone who has talent and does not want to become flamboyant," he said.
"One of the greatest racing drivers of all time was as shy as anything; Jim Clark. Kimi Raikkonen has every right to keep himself to himself and not be outspoken and to just get on with his driving. That’s what he is and we should respect that," said Hill.
FUCK ISRAEL 