No Penalty For Ferrari

Posted by Carrot on September 8, 2010 | No Comments

After being referred to the WMSC by the stewards of the German Grand Prix, it has unanimously been agreed not to impose further sanctions against the Scuderia. The position switch of the red cars in Germany and the manner in which it was done has split the sport, BBC pundit and former team principal Eddie Jordan stating that the book should have been thrown at Ferrari for treating the fans like “muppets”. Others, including former drivers David Coulthard and World Champion Damon Hill pointing the finger clearly at the regulation itself, noting that it is hopelessly vague and unenforceable.

The verdict will be a relief to Ferrari before their home race in Monza this weekend. The press had reported rumours of Ferrari preparing a legal bid to retain their points had the WMSC decided to strip their points from them. Any alteration to the points would have caused uproar in the Spanish and Italian press and undoubtedly affected the 2010 championship, almost certainly removing Fernando Alonso from the title race.

It could set an unhealthy precedent, most people being unhappy about the manner in which the switch was conducted rather than the position change itself. Although Ferrari’s $100,000 fine still stands, most front-running teams would consider this a small cost compared to the benefits of winning a championship. Luckily for Ferrari both their main rivals have categorically stated that they will not use team orders until one of their drivers cannot win the championship, otherwise we might have seen a very pointed response on the main straight of Monza, in front of the tifosi, to express their disdain for Ferrari’s handling of the situation.

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