"FIA simply needs to recuperate its dignity and integrity. We need a new start." - that's all that should happen, in a nutshell. Nothing more needs to be said - or done!

"He would have no special relationship with his former company, Ferrari..." - You GOTTA be kidding, right??? Or you really mean, 'No more than FIArrari have ever had!'

"I don't know. Maybe I am in the car myself..." - Briatore. And the scary thing is that he would probably be even BETTER than Junior!! :) LOL

@RichardW - not only that, but the current debacle in F1 has turned many fans to seek entertainment elsewhere.

I'll believe it in December.... maybe!

Go Nelson!! LOL!! :))

"Kafitz remains optimistic that compromise will be reached, however, saying: 'I can't imagine having no F1 year in Germany. I am very optimistic that we get Germany a solution for every year.'" - Yeah right! That's just what they were saying in France. And Canada. And the States. And ....

Well of course they're not thinking of coming back to F1 - they've only just left, for crying out loud! And anyway, why would anyone return to the shambles that is now F1 - the laughing stock of the civilised world?

If he so much wants to 'speak his mind' - let him commentate!

"otherwise 'the whole grid would be at the mercy of the car industry'" - Instead they should all be at the mercy of Cosworth? And this makes sense to the FIA spokesman?? Why, oh WHY did FOTA not go ahead with their breakaway series?!?!

Whether his comments were misconstrued or not is completely irrelevant; the fact is that he has been around in this business long enough to give answers that are more guarded (and therefore more difficult to misconstrue). The fact that he gives answers that can EASILY be taken out of context shows that he just doesn't give a toss about it - or, for that matter, the general public, the fans, the teams, etc.

@Bicker: You have the best idea I've seen for a long time! Where do we sign up? :)

@ARNETT: You assume wrongly this time.

"Max Mosley claims he is 'under pressure from all over the world'" - his world is obviously *very* small....

Gracia, it will most probably surprise you to learn that respect is EARNED! When you don't earn it, you don't get it. Quite simple, actually - I would have thought that someone who is head of a nations' motorsport would have been aware of this little fact.

When Max was calling people 'halfwits' and 'loonies', this idiot was silent...

"Race-goers might be seeing a little more of him from now." - Better him than Mosley; of whom we've seen FAR too much - and I don't mean just in the press! ;)

Better milk it while you can Nico my lad! It won't last forever!

@stormwarning: I agree that the teams are in it only for themselves. However, the money comes from us fans. Neither the FIA nor Bernie have ever shown the slightest interest in giving me what I want. FOTA is saying that they will listen to me more (this does not mean that I will get everything I want!). A little is infinitely more than nothing - so guess where I'm more likely to spend my money. FOTA is showing signs of understanding this. And I also agree that FOTA need an independant governing body - but this does not necessarily mean the FIA! And a new 'FOTA led series where Ferrari have ultimate veto' is almost impossible - FOTA would dissolve under such circumstances, each of the teams would lose their power- and fan- base; the series would never survive. The teams surely know this, which is exacly the reason that NO team will have any more power than the others - not again! That was the FIA way of doing things - and look what's happened in the last couple of years! The teams know which side their bread is buttered! Especially after the last couple of months!

@autogyro: And why should FOTA not even have an opinion? Most probably he was asked by a journalist, and merely gave an answer - it's not like he released an official statement on behalf of FOTA, or even Toyota! And tell us, where in this article does he say that Toyota even *want* to run the FIA???

So, Max, the FOTA memnbers are not even allowed to have an opinion, far less a vote? Howett merely gave his opinion - nothing more; and you go off ranting and raving like a madman barking at the moon! Howett said the FIA president should be independant of the teams. You have said pretty much the same thing. Why, then, this need for you to 'defend yourself' so vehemently?

@mrkjf - yeah, and double them for each race the driver is unable to compete in whilst recovering! :) Actually, the suggestion for points to be awarded to the driver making up the most positions during a race is spot-on! And it should be a bunch of points, not a paltry one or two! Wanna increase overtaking? Give them huge points for it! Even if it doesn't actually change much on the track, it'll help keep all the blabber-mouths shut (those who think a medals system would be good for increasing overtaking, and the sport)!

Hmmm. He wants an independant president, independant of the teams. Presumably he would want someone who was at least somehow involved in the motor industry at some point in time to be president. And if they worked in the motor industry, probably they would have worked for one of the manufacturers. Given that many of the current teams are either owned or supported by manufacturers, it might be just a tad difficult to find someone who can be said to be *completely* independant of the teams. At least, whoever it might be, they *CAN'T* be any worse than the current imbecile - I mean incumbent!

@Grumpy_Bawbag: Why stop at just fastest laps, not retiring, etc.? Why not give points for the nicest-looking car, best haircut, most interesting interview given or most baked-beans eaten during a race weekend? I think my ideas are at least as likely to inspire drivers as yours!

@LeChef "Let's hope the FIA toss out idiots like LDM and the rest of FOTA" - Um, they never 'tossed them' IN in the first place! The FIA have ZERO say on who is a member of FOTA and who is not. How is it that you don't already know this? "The sad thing is they will not be able to run a breakaway series without the FIA" - Really??? The eight current members of FOTA seem to have a different view. And as for whom I believe more (them, or you), well.... "Good riddance to FOTA" - Um, FOTA aren't going anywhere (unlike Mad Max). Which news reports have you been reading?

The old gas-bag just hangs around like a bad smell!

Yeah, Max - bring down the costs! Right!!

Reading this article again, he actually seems to make sense! Go Flav!

Fota: First step - get rid of Bernie! It's all downhill after that!

Max obviously truly believes that, of the 100 billion (or however many it is) people on the face of the planet, he is the *ONLY ONE who is competent enough to be President of the FIA! 'Megalomania' is not the word!

Someone just say 'sorry' to the old codger, and then slam the door after he's gone! Otherwise he's going to hang around forever, making everyones lives miserable!

@atec_racer: "it says a lot about the FIA as a whole" - The FIA are nothing but a bunch of incompetent beaurocrats; we've all known this for some years now. It's not likely to change any time soon. This is the same organisation that takes people from countries where only about 1 in 50 people even have a car, and makes them stewards at F1 races!

shirazer - excellent idea!

So, Max thinks that the agreement reached is null and void if someone allegedly calls him names?? How terribly mature of him!

I think Boeri is responsible enough to give his own opinion, yes? Therefore there is no need whatsoever for any comments from you on the matter, Mr Mosely! How I long for the day when Max is nothing but a bad memory!

Actually, he might well really be the best man for the job - he's certainly no engineer, mathematician or aerodynamicist!

Yeah, right. Now get lost!

When is he going to leave this mortal coil? Of the old people I know, at age 78 half of them would sit dribbling all day, while wearing a diaper and being spoon-fed. The other half didn't even make 78!!

At last!!!! Hallelujah!!!

mnwj - very well said!

f2flyer - what's the point of, at the age of 78, owning ANYTHING for 100 years????? He can't take it with him when he goes!1

"I'm obviously very, very happy common sense has prevailed which I've always believed it would because *the alternative was not good at all*," - yeah, not good at all FOR YOU!!! Surely your time is also running out, in one way or another!

Hallelujah!!! He's (almost) finally gone!! Party-time!! One down, one to go!

@GoDogGo: Amen to that!

"It is extraordinary that ...Formula One teams should threaten a breakaway series in order to avoid reducing their Formula One costs." - he STILL doesn't get it, does he?? Max, it's NOT about the money!!

Go FOTA!!!!

@GPunsalan: Hear hear!!

"If (a breakaway) started, everybody would be suing everybody else and there would be no other series. There would be nothing. It would be finished - it would be a total disaster. Everyone would spend a fortune on lawyers and nothing will happen." - No, only 2 people would be suing; that's YOU and your pal Mad Max! Secondly, the onyl thing that would be 'finished' is YOU! It would be a total disaster only for YOU! I really hope FOTA goes ahead with a new series, and that you never get anywhere near it to get your grubby little hands on it! To the poorhouse with both of you! Viva FOTA!

"Bernie: I'm sure we'll fix this" = "Oh dear God, I hope someone can fix this mess so I can make even more money!"

Of course, to a loonie, everyone else looks like a loonie!

People keep saying Max should leave 'for the benefit of the FIA' - but I believe the FIA fully supports him! Who are they, anyway? A bunch of old men who sit and talk rubbish with each other all day, yet somehow they have some sort of 'control' over motorsport? They are nothing but politicians and bureaucrats! I bet *NOT ONE* of them has ever been a racing driver, let alone a Formula 1 driver! F1 doesn't need them! For sure, the new series will not need them! Do you people think that all motorsport will crumble if the FIA were suddenly to disappear? Of course not! I'm sure FOTA will be able to do ALL of what the FIA currently does for F1, MUCH more efficiently, and for MUCH less cost! Therefore, why worry about them at all? Let Max be president until he rots! They deserve him!

No wonder both he and Mad Max are squealing so loudly - ask yourself, "Who has the most to lose - the Teams, or Max & Bernie?" The most important people in all of this, THE FANS, have been sidelined and ignored for MANY years. FINALLY, someone (FOTA) looks prepared to give us more of what WE want. The fans will overwhelmingly support FOTA through what will undoubtedly be a very difficult start, and continue that support in the years to come when the new series will completely surpass what F1 was at its' best. The alternative is to be continuously disappointed and ignored by B&M.

"But my job is to look after the interests of the FIA" - yeah, right! Look at the mess you've made at the moment!

gizmogen - Excellent!!! Full points!! :)

It will be very ugly at first, make no mistake. But when you look at the big picture, the future - a breakaway series is the only logical choice.

"Mosley: Teams just want more money and power" - what, as opposed to Max & Bernie just wanting more money & power??? Viva FOTA!!!

AceV - you got it! :)

"But once we actually get to the first race and it's make-your-mind-up time, they'll be there. The great traditional teams, and I include Ferrari in that, they need to be there, and they will be there for sure. It will get sorted out." - Um, isn't it a bit late for that now? I mean, YOU imposed a deadline by which time they had to enter - or risk there not being enough places for them. You were so serious about this deadline that you refused to extend it when asked to by the teams. They have now missed the deadline. YOU had decided that teams which missed the deadline would be replaced by new teams that YOU have selected. And now you say the FOTA teams will be in the F1 grid next year??? But what about all those previous threats you made? Can we take NOTHING you say as being serious, as the truth? Thought not...

"grave violation of competition law" - and M&B would know ALL about that, having got away with it themselves a few years back!

"In the end people do what is in their best interests to do" - You got THAT right, at least! That's why they're going to start their own series!

"I am completely confident there will be only one Formula One next year," said Mosley. - yep, and we'll all be watching something else, with REAL racing, and no old politicians messing things up all the time!

Notice the quote says "British Grand Prix" and not "British Formula 1 Grand Prix"? Yes, I'm also quite sure there will be a British Grand Prix next year!

In Africa there are also presidents who get 're-elected' year after year... We call them despots, tyrants and autocratic (among other things!)

incognito: "you are about to lose even your pants" - Please no! Anything else! Not those!!

What?!?! He's going to run for office AGAIN?? What a surprise!!! *NOT*!!!

My respect for the man is definitely on the increase!

GoDogGo - I'm with you on that!

Who cares any more if he stays or goes? What can it possibly matter? We'll all soon be watching a new series of racing that has NOTHING to do with the old codger at all!! Let him stay there 'till he rots!

Wrong. You'll still be racing in the biggest racing in the world - it just won't be called 'F1'!!

Maxine, 'faith' implies 'trust' - you're actually saying that the teams did not trust you. Is it any wonder that you're not surprised?

"elements within FOTA" - those elements being the eight teams that currently make up FOTA?

"Fernando Alonso has declared he will follow Renault should they leave Formula One" - along with all the real F1 fans! :)

Actually - STUFF IT! I couldn't care less what the old codger does or says any more!!

What he actually said was: ""We are disappointed but not surprised by FOTA's inability to reach a compromise in the best interests of the FIA." Loser!!

"Montreal and Silverstone may not have circuit buildings that look like a Disney-inspired industrial estate, but they do have something far more relevant. Fans" - Are you reading this, Bernice? Not that it really matters any more...! :)

Every news site that features motorsport in any way whatsoever is FULL of the good news - except the Official site! I wonder why...?? :) :)

I am really happy about this! For sure, it won't be easy, and will probably take a year or two for the new series to really settle in; but after that... the sky really will be the limit! Imagine... no more Max, no more Bernice! Just good racing, at the top of the food chain! Cool bananas!!

FIA: accept it - you LOST!!!!!

"but what he can rely on is a big audience" - Um, not any more, he can't! :)

I think we can answer question 6 now.... :)

Hooraaayyy!!! The news of the brakaway series has made my entire YEAR!! Awesome!! :)

"I really hope tomorrow there is good news" - and it IS good news!! VERY good news!! :)

PaulRS - Excellent!! :) LOL

Oh dear God, let it be true!!

What's the saying - "empty vessels make the most noise" - or something like that?

Well, with any luck Bernie won't be involved in such discussions next year! Viva breakaway!!

"FOTA - made up of participants who come and go as it suits them" - well, the new teams haven't been in the sport long enough to leave yet!! What a crock of s#!t!!

Nullius123 - yeah, right! Keep dreaming.....!

Just break away already!!

With the technical and financial changes the FIA are to implement, they claim Formula One "would wither and die," and that it would "lose its teams". - Um, so what's the difference between that and losing the teams due to unacceptable regulations such as those the FIA want to implement??? Anyone??

I must admit - my respect for the man has increased somewhat in recent weeks!

So, Max is threatening the 5 teams with condition entries? Like, "If you don't agree to my terms, I'll throw you out of the Championship!" - what the heck kind of threat is that??? They don't WANT to be in YOUR Championship! They want to be in their OWN Championship!! What an idiot he is!

F1 doesn't need new teams as much as it needs new governance!

What would the troll know about the 'spectacle'??? I have read that he doesn't even bother to watch the races - as soon as the lights go out, he bolts for his plane out of there!

atec_racer: "Correct me if I'm wrong" - consider yourself corrected....

"You can't have just a lot of old men running it" - he's got his head stuck so far up his own a$$ he can't hear what he's saying!

NickUSA: "Charlie Whiting is the head technical man, so let him determine the rulings" - I disagree. Spa 08. "Charlie, are you SURE Lewis' move on Kimi was OK?" And we ALL know what happened after that! I think he, like MANY others in the FIA / whatever, is WAY past his best-by date!

"You can't have just a lot of old men running it." - Christ on a crutch! It's what we've all known and been saying for YEARS!

So, the 'old rookie' made it to lap 11 - and this means he's improving? Just because for ONCE, someone else took him out (instead of him doing it to himself, as usual)?? What a joke!

Well, he's right - when FIArrari get a warning, it means a 'call to pay attention'. When any other car gets a warning, it means a penalty!

"the FIA presidential election this autumn (should he stand)" - come on, who are you trying to fool? The ONLY time he will step down from being President of the FIA is when they lower him in a casket way down to lower than he's been in his life!

Bernice had better speak to Maxine more often! Maxine was saying just the other day that NO manufacturers would give any guarantees whatsoever to remain in the sport for a set period of time - and hence his vendetta, bringing in all these new rules. Yet Bernice says a contract already exists with at least FIArrari? Which of them is lying?

Just like the mad 'medals' system that was 'mistakenly' included in the 2010 rules.... This whole thing is absolutely pathetic.

"The FIA, the teams and our commercial partners will now continue to work to ensure the well-being of Formula One" - Maxine, which teams are you referring to, exactly? The teams that WON'T be in F1 next year??

"Max Mosley has accused Ferrari of putting their own interests above that of Formula One" - Now, I wonder why they did that? Could it be perhaps that Maxine, in his 'wisdom', Put FIArraris' interests above that of Formula One some years ago? What, he's changed his mind about them now? AND complaining about it??? What the heck did he expect???

Of course they'll all race next year. But maybe not in F1.

What I don't understand is why the teams don't just tell M&B to stuff their version of 'F1' and go and do the REAL thing on their own next year. I mean, they have until March or so next year - how long can it possibly take to make all the necessary arrangements / deals with sponsors / tracks & TV? They should start NOW! Then they will be rid of the idiocy & tyranny of M&B *FOREVER*!!!!

surrealowl - spot on!

I don't see what all the fuss is about. After proving he has the fastest car in practice several times, he has been completely unable to convert this into results of any significance whatsoever. What is most surprising is that some people actually rate him as a driver!

Bernie couldn't give a rat's A$$ about Fiarrari, the FIA, the teams, F1, the fans or anyone or anything else. He cares *ONLY* about Bernie (ie the money flowing into his pocket). Time for all of 'F1' to move elsewhere... leaving Bernie & Maxine FAR behind!

1 word: BREAKAWAY!!!

I for one would LOVE all the teams to break away and form their own series - *IF* they do a good job of it. Clear, concise, understandable rules that make sense - the same rules (including any budget capping) for ALL teams. Races in countries that actually have passion for F1 - the 'classic' tracks as well as the new. Proper, responsible stewarding. Entertaining, in-depth TV coverage. F1 (or whatever it will be called) governed and administered by the teams themselves. But, for all we know, they could fudge it up even worse than Maxine & Bernie. Not likely (I hope!) - but possible.

wrx202: "he was the heaviest after they had given up getting to Q3" - actually, did you know that they decide on fuel levels of cars 11 - 20 AFTER Q2? Only cars 1 - 10 must qualify with race fuel levels in Q3?

Didn't this muppet say the same kind of thing last race - and the race before, and the face before that..... lol

robson: "if they keep that up" - you are obviously referring to their not sending their drivers out for qualifying runs, forgetting to put enough petrol in their cars during races, and building sub-standard cars that break down all the time, yes?

Pking007: "Button has won 4 races out of 5 this season. i can't remember when F1 was such a one-sided affair." - 1) Did you know there are 19 other drivers in each race? 2) Does the name Michael Schumacher mean nothing to you?

So, it's not only McLaren that can make multiple mistakes...

They probably told him that there was an ice-cream waiting for him in the garage....

corbs & davratta - spot-on! I'm amazed at this 'new' Alonso!

Someone give him a tissue...

robson: "a victory without beating a ferrari is a hollow meaningless victory." - which means that Brawns' 3 victories are meaningful and deserved, as is Red Bulls'! And what kind of 'benchmark' are you on about - 3 points after 4 races is NOT worth bragging about as a 'benchmark'! Rediculous!

touchyu2 - the words 'reasonable' and 'FIA' do not belong in the same sentence; they are mutually-exclusive!

robson - he IS in a good team, and he HAS a decent car. Not the fastest at the moment, but decent none the less. And he's doing more with it than your beloved Plodding Donkey drivers are doing with theirs!

The fact of the matter is that EACH team is important to F1 - and NONE more than the others. Some teams have been there longer than others, some less - so what? Some have had more success than others - makes no difference! Big teams have left F1 in the past - it has survived. NOTHING lasts forever - get over it!

"Ferrari is obviously the biggest name in F1 with many fans." - and it's precisely because Maxine, the FIA and Bernie couldn't give a rats' a$$ about us fans that they said what they have said, and done what they have done (with the regulations for 2010). As for Massa - that's how most of the fans feel too!

I think he might actually be a distant relative of Max and / or Bernie - he sprouts the same sort of garbage they do!

So, he wants to be lighter? Will he take another dump before a race, a la interview with Martin Brundle on the grid (can't remember which race) some years back? :)

Always with the teams: Talk, talk, talk!! Get off your butts and form your own series! Get on with it, get it done already! Everyone can see that talking is getting you NOWHERE!

Where did those online petitions go?

robson - so, the writer wrote a better headline than you could have, eh? Imagine my surprise - I bet, no matter how stupid he / she may be, they will ALWAYS outshine you! But I guess someone who is incapable AND looking for work (even as 'McLarens PR spokesperson') couldn't come up with even a mildy intelligent comment...

"I am not Bernies' pawn - and I have his explicit permission to say so!"

Actually, he DOES have the support of the entire team: he keeps Alonso from throwing his toys out of the pram from having a competitive partner! And he'll stay in the team until Alonso leaves / retires! Go Renault! LOL

mezrg: "70% of F1 fans are Ferrari supporters" - and your point is??? And anyway, please provide a link to where you get your statistics, so we can all verify their validity.

I'm pretty sure such agreements over prize money were signed before Brawn lined up on the grid in Australia, and therefore this article is complete rubbish. I'm sure Ross would have got a signature for something of this magnitude.

Just when I thought he couldn't say anything MORE stupid - he sinks to new depths! Good lord! Doesn't he have ANY contact with the real world at all??

The drivers should make Bernice publicly sign a document that says he takes FULL responsibility for any accidents that may happen due to poor lighting. We all know he will do no such thing - so hopefully this idea will be binned.

And WHO exactly will do the policing? What qualifications will they have? If they're anything like the buffoons you have as 'Stewards' at the races (i.e. If you have watched the highlights of 1 GP on television once and your job is somehow connected to the motoring industry, you are qualified to act as an official steward), this whole idea is doomed to be an abysmal failure.

As for me, I'll wait and see. I certainly don't believe EVERYTHING I read....

I am very glad to see some new teams at the top of the table, instead of the same one all the time. Should have happened YEARS ago!

AndyC: While I am certainly no FIArrari fan, they DO make worthy opponents, and as such F1 would be less without them. Actually, I wouldn't like to see ANY of the teams leave the sport - unless they ALL left to form their own series without the FIA, without Bernie, with their own budgets, with their own rules, on tracks of their choosing, ..... THAT I *would* like to see!

BLACKDOG: Actually, the 'best result possible' was in fact referring to Bahrain, and not Australia.

bazrat: That may be so, but a gap of more than 10 seconds is not 'narrow'. That is the only point I wanted to make. Sorry you couldn't understand that...

I can't see this article being an accurate representation of the facts; actually NO facts are provided whatsoever. It's all hype put out by the Daily Mail - ALL the information in the article comes ONLY from the Daily Mail, no other sources are quoted: It's all, "The DM says that ....", "According to the DM, ...." and "The DM reports that ....". Nothing from McLaren directly. Nothing from anyone else at all.

If it really is as bad as they say, the drivers should just refuse to drive a race. It would only happen ONCE - after that, Bernice should have learned his lesson.

rpmV8: Of course FIArrari don't want a biased championship - at least, not one that is not biased in their favour. The budget cap is set at $40m? An entire team can operate, design and build a car, and run it for a WHOLE YEAR on $40m? Which just illustrates how much of a help the $80m FIArrari were given in past years just for being in F1 really was. And people still say Schumacher won his championships fairly (even forgetting about his on-track antics!)? And people still believe FIArrari *IS* F1, pointing to all their alleged 'successes'? Amazing....!

"It would be fantastic to have a female pilot" - Just goes to show how little Bernice knows about why people watch F1. Yeah, a woman in F1 would be interesting.... for about 5 minutes. Who really cares? It should be the driving, and ONLY the driving, that makes F1 interesting! All the rest is just marketing BS & hype.

PF1: Er, 10+ seconds behind 3rd place is not 'narrowly missing out on a podium finish' - it's MILES behind! In a bicycle race 10 seconds is a small difference, but in F1 ONE second or less would be considered 'narrow'.

hamidf1 - Right on, man!! That's the same reason I wouldn't want even FIArrari to leave F1. It's just so great when your team beats the others, especially when it's against the odds!

robson: "one championship win out of the past 20 makes him a consistent loser" - please remind us all exactly how long it was between Jody Scheckter (1979) & Michael Schumacher (2000) for FIArrari? Can you do the maths on your own? Or do you need some help with those big numbers?

frombelgium: "it is a shame that we can't listen the radio comunication from Hungaroring 2007 to know the truth....." - and while we're at it, why not listen to Monaco when a certain red car parked on the track. And that's just for starters!

Luca is just complaining because the budget cap is LESS than the $80 000 000 'bonus' they were given each year in previous years! He won't be able to spend it on his cars any more, which will mean that *for once* FIArrari will be on the same playing field as all the other teams, WITHOUT the undoubted advantage that eighty MILLION dollars gives them! Which will probably mean that they will NEVER win a championship again (and also therefore the extra bonus they would normally get). No wonder he's so against it!

cam2000cc: If you count the teams based in Enland as being 'British', there's probably even less than 3 teams. Of course, if they were all to pull out of F1, it would leave just FIArrari to race - and they'd still probably have 'team orders'! Robson would love it!

If he's waiting for 'stability in F1' - it doesn't exist, and from the looks of things, it will never exist (at least while Maxine & Bernice are still breathing); he will wait a LONG time! But I don't blame the man - Maxine changes the regulations fundamentally each year, and in order to 'save money', he introduces new technologies that cost money. In the meantime Bernice wants F1 to be in places where F1 is least popular, and make the teams spend huge $$$ just to get there & back half a dozen times a year. I also wouldn't be exactly 'eager' to jump into F1 now, no matter how much money I had!

TiTi_Nyo: I think that's a MAJOR understatement! Robson would have a compete nervous breakdown if Hamilton signed to FIAffari! But one thing in Vettels' favour - he can drive better in the wet than at least ONE current FIArrari driver!

RichardW: You have a very valid point! Max obviously has long since lost the plot - the left hand doesn't know what the right is doing!

So, instead of spending lots of money, but at the end of the day having something that works AND is applicable to other motoring spheres, it makes more sense to spend a bit less money, but throw it all in the bin instead??? Even those teams who have working KERS systems? They will be expected to just toss the whole lot, with no return on investment? And this makes sense to him?

Holy Moly!! Robson has said something that the majority of F1 fans agree with! Probably just the Law of Averages working for us, but still....!

Flav: I have 1 word from the past for you: TURBO! You are certainly old enough to remember turbos, yes? And that some cars had them, and some not? The cars without turbos had bigger engines. As far as I remember, there was no problem whatsoever with F1 cars of differing specs in the same race. Everyone understood this (even your engineering brain was able to grasp this concept!). Turbo / no turbo; smaller engine / larger engine vs KERS / no KERS; diffuser / no diffuser - what's the difference? The racing this year has been better than it has been for MANY years! Viva le difference!

Bluegate: So, it's 'amusing' to read our 'annoying and petty' 'ranting and blah blah blah'? You seem to have strange tastes in amusement! No matter. People here express their opinions. But however much they may 'rant', it is a fact that it is only an opinion. Nothing more. It is not 'right' or 'wrong', cannot be proven true or false. It's just an opinion. You may agree or disagree with any given opinion - this too does not make you 'right' or 'wrong', any more than it makes any of us 'right' or 'wrong', but our opinions are unlikely to change. It might be an idea to remember this. In addition, judging from the length of your post, it would seem that you have read rather a lot of our 'boring rants'; maybe we've touched on a nerve somewhere? And finally: "The fact is, we're not bothered by you. Your's is just a petty voice that never gets heard and will never get heard" - sound familiar? bubchronic: What exactly is your point? Some of us do NOT support FIArrari. Get over it!

cam2000cc - until hell freezes over. Does it matter what they think? Not at all. Forget about it.

Well, that might explain his speed. I wonder if FIArrari will try that in their cars - or try to have it banned!

I have ZERO sympathy for Williams. Isn't this the only team that refused to delay the implementation of KERS? Isn't this the ONLY reason KERS was not delayed until next year - that the vote was not unanimous among the teams? And now look - not only do they not yet even have their own (working) KERS system themselves, but the other teams are pulling away from them hand over fist. Serve them right! Next time, maybe they'll make better strategic decisions!

Once more Massa proves he can't pass other drivers on the track, and can only win IF he starts from pole.....

mikepeligro - Excellent!! LOL

'very badly written rules' - Ha! It's what the other teams have had to put up with for YEARS!! Welcome to F1!

So, when the FIA have been on FIArraris' side, it was OK. But the second the 'cooperation' between them lessens, the finger-pointing starts. For some reason, the saying 'thick as thieves' comes to mind....

Wilder: it just got worse - Luca is on his way there.....

It speaks!!!

Obviously the TV at home is broken again!

RichardW - but that's probably only with a tail-wind!

So, the problem with drivers not going out on the track in the first part of practice was that they need more sets of tyres to do all the 'extra' testing they now must do in practice sessions, now that official in-season testing is banned. Why is it, that with all the alleged brains in F1, NO-ONE thought of this until now??? They KNEW in-season testing is banned. They KNEW they would have to do their testing over GP weekends. They KNEW more running (and therefore more tyres) would be required. Yet they said NOTHING! And how many years will it take the FIA to come up with the staggeringly clever idea of just issuing a few extra sets to each team?

Montezemolo heads to Bahrain to lift spirits - and roll heads, kick a$$, crush nuts, sever dangly bits, rip guts out, behead, disembowel, castrate, rip 'new ones', attach concrete boots .... anything to 'encourage' the team!

I'd like to hear Massa or even Kimi say something like this if FIArrari had been through the same s*** as McLaren has been through. Yeah, McLaren put their foot in it this time, but even if it was FIArrari, I would still feel that this whole episode has been blown out of all proportion. They told porkies, they got caught, they got points taken away. End of story. Those who want them to be put against the wall & shot just for that - what would you want done to them if they had done something REALLY bad??? This whole thing - it just makes the stewards and other idiots in F1 stronger - and that's bad for EVERYONE!

It means nothing - the race is only tomorrow, not today.....

"Massa: It's time I stepped up to the plate" - swap the word 'plate' with 'trough', and you've just about got it!

Bernie should not try to influence the teams about the way they go racing - even in a 'joking' kind of way. It's NONE of his business!

bernard - you mean, he isn't squealing as loudly as when he was at McLaren?? Maybe he doesn't have any toys left to throw....

"Silverstone could yet retain British GP" - yeah, and pigs might fly!

pasikuikka - he didn't; he studied PR and advertising instead, by the looks of things!

So, Piquet believes he will be fighting with Red Bull & Brawn GP?? Yeah, right - keep dreaming!!

"Sport is only interesting and exciting if all the players play by the same rules" - You *ARE* all playing by the same rules; you just didn't read them properly, that's all!

"I have always gone well at the Sakhir circuit, winning for the last two years, so I hope this is a good sign" - didn't you tell us just the other day that you had discovered that you're driving a different car this year to last year? Have you forgotten this already?

I think he was just too scared to carry on driving in the rain, so he parked it. He hadn't actually spun off yet - but then, he had only completed 21 laps, almost half of which were behind the safety car (and incidentally, he DID have an off-track moment BEHIND THE SAFETY CAR!)

The problem is, if McLaren start doing well with KERS onboard, the FIA will ban it from next year.... No wonder the other teams are worried about becoming too dependant on it!

So, they're gonna just 'give up' & throw in the towel? Well, maybe it'll save them some cash - after all, it's probably MUCH cheaper to replace Luca's TV each race weekend than develop their cars!

johnbt - that may be, but we don't watch F1 to see the drivers' personalities.....

THussey - even if a team decides to stop developing this years' car, it's only a 'medium-term' solution. Even assuming that next years' car will be good, they cannot also stop developing it to concentrate on the following years' car. It's something a team can do only for ONE year - after that, they are in the same boat as everyone else. I'll be interested to see how well Brawn do next year - THAT will be the real test!

danformula1 - the difference between Massa & Hamilton in the wet is that even though Hamilton's car got away from him several times in China, he *STILL* moved forwards, making up 3 positions from his place on the grid (from 9th to 6th at the flag - 3 places made up). Whereas Massa in Britain last year started 9th on the grid, and spun himself *BACKWARDS* to 13th at the flag (and it was "only" 13th because he was LAST - no other cars finished the race, or he would have lost even more places!). That's 4 positions *LOST* under similar weather. We cannot count Massa's race in China, as he didn't even finish it - we can speculate, but let's keep to the facts. Still want to try to tell us they are equals in the wet?

robson - even though Hamilton's car got away from him several times, he *STILL* moved forwards, making up 3 positions from his place on the grid (from 9th to 6th at the flag - 3 places made up). Whereas Massa in Britain last year started 9th on the grid, and spun himself *BACKWARDS* to 13 at the flag (and it was "only" 13th because he was LAST - no other cars finished the race, or he would have lost even more places!). That's 4 positions LOST under similar weather. Guess who my money's on in a wet race!

robson - Massa didn't even get as far as his first pit stop, which 'falsifies' his position, as many other drivers had already pitted. And anyway, it's not where you are on lap 21 that counts - but where you are at the finish line. A more representative reference would be Kimi: Grid = 8, finish = 10, difference = -2. Compared to McLaren (Ham/Kov): Grid = 9/12, finish = 6/5, difference = +3/+7. Can't argue with the numbers....

spearson - I think you'll find that the article was referring to a driver giving FIRST wins of a team to more than 1 team, not just having multiple wins for different teams.

Waterfall64 - no incidents were investigated precisely because McLaren were not involved in any of them. It's easier to believe that than to believe they have suddenly developed intelligence....

In my view, Sutil was NOT a loser in that race - a Force India, in 6th, is not doing too badly at all!

So, he's the first team manager to crack under the 'pressure'? Imagine my surprise.....

Why is he only having a go at Brawn? Didn't at least 2 other teams also have different innovative diffusers? What about them? I think he's had his nose up Bernies' posterior for *WAY* too long - he is suffering from oxygen deprivation!

So now it's "the team did it"? I remember not so long ago it was 'I' (as in, "I brought 0.6 s to the car!"). The wonders never cease....

messyhead - I'll have you know, the Lada Riva was a MUCH better car than last years' Honda! :)

mrkjf: "Why didn't he go to the FIA?" - get real!!

Well, Domenicali - if the Diffuser 3 cars are illegal due to a feature also found on your cars, it follows that the FIArrari cars are illegal too, yes? Sounds quite simple to me, no need for any 'astonishment'.

"So, therefore, in our case, we said: one of the reasons why you should not accept this argument is because it would mean that, as Ferrari have said; their cars have been illegal for years winning 11 championships." - confirms what we've suspected all along.....

Massa [roll of drums]: "We learnt first of all, in my case, that we don't have the same car as last year." - what an absolutely astute observation!!! Let it not be said the lad's not quick on the uptake! Better check Kimi's car, quick, and see what year it is!

Well, at least Ron has done the honourable thing..... When is it Flav's turn?

tim_azzuri: "Why do they need to wait till Spain for the diffusers????" - Um, 'cos they're still making them?? You haven't read ANY of the news articles about diffusers? Not heard of the 'Diffuser 3'? You have NO idea why the other teams are complaining about them so much?? Unbelieveable!!!

robson - so you don't deny the claim, at least?

It can't have been Nelson driving - the F1 car was *ahead* of the other one!

Ferrari_R_Cheat - good point!!!

paperboy - valid point well put.

I bet he filled his racing overalls, and THAT'S why it took so long for him to get out of the car......

Looks like the cameraman of the YouTube video is suffering from 'St Vitus dance' or something! Camera shaking all over the place so much you can hardly see what's going on! Is this the *only* video available - were there only 3 people there, only one of whom had his cell-phone with him?

guatuzy - it was only half a race (because 'some rocket scientist' decided it would be a good idea to start the race at a time of the day when rain is MOST expected), but yeah, I agree.

Ron doesn't have a 'job' at McLaren - he is a shareholder! No matter what, he can't be 'fired' just like that!

tim_azzuri - Erm, because he is Lewis' father AND manager??? Just a wild guess here....

I'm not a FIArrari fan - but ANYONE can make a mistake! Get over it already...

TGovender - I suggest you read a bit more about what 'aquaplaning' is before you advise the teams to 'raise the ride hieghts' of the cars....

So Flav, even though the fact is it mostly rains in the late afternoon in Sepang at this time of the year, the starting time of the race was NOT the problem??? Well, Mr Scientist - you can try changing one of two things: The start of the race, or the weather. What's it gonna be?

domformula1 - Get a dictionary. Look up the word 'fault' (as in, "it's your fault!"). Look up the word 'responsibility' (as in, "it's your responsibility!"). You should then have the answer to your question. The two words do NOT have the same meaning.

And what's wrong with Kimi sitting eating ice-cream? You think he was going to race again? For WHAT exactly?? He was in 14th place, for sucks face! And under Bernies daft 'medals' system, more drivers would have joined him! And rightly so!

Um, how can Kubica & Kovalainen be 55 & 56 laps behind if the results were taken after the 31st lap?

mikey817 - yeah maybe, but some people don't forget those mistakes.

What a PATHETIC end to a grand prix!! Well done, Bernie!! What's your next brainwave going to be? Drivers to drive in reverse the entire race (including qualifying), to 'spice things up a bit'?

Oh well - looks like McLaren will get hammered again! But I think the punishment they have already got (losing drivers AND team points) is enough (not to mention the loss of credibility to the fans). No reasonable person would expect more. But then, the FIA have shown themselves to be unreasonable people....

I'm afraid I must side with Sir Moss here.

PF1Editor - any chance of putting these rules somewhere where they can be found easily (and read) - instead of us having to guess what they are? Or are these policies enforced along the lines of those of the FIA (I.E. - We don't really know what we're doing - we make it up as we go along). Would probably help stop us AND you wasting a lot of time.....

How long will this 'wait' be? The stewards waited *FOUR DAYS* before deciding that *maybe* listening to the McLaren radio communication might be a good idea! Even robson would have thought of it sooner than them - and that's saying something! How do they communicate with the FIA in Paris - carrier pigeon? How long will it take them to get their favourite crayon sharpened?

So, BMW can refuse to budge of the KERS issue - even though all the other teams wanted to postpone it for another year or so - thus forcing the other teams to invest huge dollars in it during the financial crisis. But when ANOTHER team invents something new, BMW want it banned??? And this is supposed to be 'fair'???

RichardW - there is no problem with the diffusers. Some teams just didn't think of it, that's all. So of course, now they're 'unfair'

robson: "may they finally get what they deserve" - you are obviously referring to BOTH World Championships! It wouldn't surprise me if at least ONE of the McLarens finishes the race in front of BOTH the FIArraris!

R1ckspeed - "Lewis and Hamilton" ???

jamdown & GIL27 - is that why he finished BEHIND Lewis on the track last week?

TimS - Actually, they said Ryan was responsible - not that it was his fault. There is a difference. And that's why he was suspended.

Rocket_ - You said that right!

lewisisoverated - Um, as far as I remember, Alonso drove for Renault last year. What exactly did McLaren do to him?

I can just imagine the scene in the stewards' office after the race: Stewards: "Whose fault was it?" Driver A: "It was Driver B!" Driver B: "It was Driver A!" Stewards: "Ok, we'll toss a coin and decide the outcome that way!" When two drivers give the same story on what happened, one can probably assume that the story is correct, and also probably there is no need to look for additional evidence. But when two drivers give different stories, someone with only the intelligence of a small dog or retarded sheep would say, "Ok, Driver A blames Driver B, and Driver B blames Driver A. Looks like we need to see the camera coverage / car telemetry / radio communications ourselves to decide what really happened." - AT THE TIME OF THE ORIGINAL ENQUIRY!!! Not FOUR days later!! Good grief, who are these cretins? The Three Stooges? Hewey, Dewey & Lewey?

So Martin, is this the same Charlie Whiting who told you the pass at Spa last year was 'OK'? And you still trust him??? You still listen to his answers? You still bother to ask him his opinion? Unbelievable!!!

If the stewards can overturn the penalty against Trulli because it was a bad decision on their part, why can they not reopen the case against Vettel (which has obviously been completely mishandled). What I want to know is, why were these cretins allowed to steward the race in the first place? Which idiot appointed them? Oh, wait, I know.....!

The video referened by the article HAS been removed. The 2nd link provided by others here shows only where Hamilton passed Trulli while he was on the grass. However, Trulli was penalised not for being passed by Hamilton (as in the 2nd link), but for retaking his position ahead of Hamilton (which the 2nd video does not show). The way this whole situation has been handled is abominable - to call the stewards 'clowns' is an insult to clowns!

I have NO problem whatsoever with ANY driver being penalised when he is in the wrong - no matter which driver, no matter which team. But I have BIG issues with how these matters are decided. The stewards have access to the cars' telemetry, they have access to onboard camera views not shown the public during the race, they have access to all pitwall / car communication during the race, and finally they have access to ask anyone - including the drivers - any questions they have about any incident that may have occurred. How is it then, that with all this information at their disposal, they can CONSISTANTLY muck everything up so completely and get everything SO wrong??? I would have thought that it is not humanly possible for even three people to make so many mistakes in so short a time!! WTF is going on???

motomouth - I must admit - you have a point! :)

As usual, there is not enough evidence to prove who was wrong / right. TV coverage missed it, and the youtube video has been removed. What happened to the 'more accountable' stewards, 'more transparent' decision-making that Max promised we'd see this year? Where's the 'extra coverage' that would be released to the public? All we can do is speculate, we have NO facts other than Trulli being given a 25 second penaltly, and his team intending to appeal it. Even what Trulli / Hamilton / McLaren / Toyota have allegedly said cannot be taken as fact. And people are probably looking at us squabbling among ourselves and shaking their heads in amazement - and I'm not surprised.

wackyracer - Hamilton HAD a race to talk about. Heikki didn't make it past the first corner; how exactly can Martin talk about his race? philtypr - yes, Trulli drove just as well as Hamilton. The difference is Trulli is not defending World Champion.

MrGeeze - I'm not sure about this. I know that if there are any addition 'parade laps', the race distance is reduced accordingly. As for using KERS 'off the line', I'm sure it's fully charged and fully legal. Once the lights go out, the race has officially started, so KERS may be used. BTW - as I understand it, it's not 6 pushes of the button, but 6 seconds (or so) per lap. Exactly how long KERS is active at any given time is up to the driver (up to the maximum 6 seconds per lap).

Guys, if you don't like Hamiltons' comments, then don't read them in the first place! It's very simple! Read something else instead! It's not rocket-science!

AndyP : "The only reason he got to 4th place was because of the amount of attrition in the closing laps." True. Without the incident that accounted for exactly TWO cars in the closing laps Hamilton would have been 6th (we can exclude any cars BEHIND Hamilton on the track). Let's do some maths (you CAN add & subtract, I hope) - Hamiltons' starting position: 18. Hamiltons' finishing position: 4. Number of positions gained through 'attrition': 2. 18 - 4 - 2 = 12. That is TWELVE positions gained PRECISELY through driving prowess. You can't argue with maths.

"After hauling himself up to sixth place Nelson Piquet was in danger of getting a great result in Australia. That's NOT what he's employed to do. He's employed to not beat Fernando Alonso." - Excellent!!! :))

robson : "kubica would have won had it not been for vettel" - ...and Button and Hamilton and Glock and ..... all I hear from you is whining! "Would have", "Could have" mean NOTHING! Brawn won! FIArrari lost! The results speak for themselves! "is that telling me something?" - Um, I don't know; is it?

johnbt & ronniepilgrim35 - He ALWAYS drives at his best, therefore EACH race is one of his best performances. It's actually quite simple.

I bet Luca will buy a new TV tomorrow... the first of MANY this year! :)

Notice the difference between Heikki & Robert when they describe their incidents? One accepts it and carries on with life, and the other cries like a baby!

jarawa - "why­ the hell he did not let him by?" Um, because they were racing? Just a wild guess...

As far as Brawn GP is concerned, there are those on these forums who actually know a little about F1, and can appreciate the effort that has gone into their cars - and the idiots who simply don't know any better. Well done Brawn GP!

robson - you were so full of 'it' before the race, I asked you exactly what you would pledge to do if McLaren beat FIArrari today. Funny, I didn't see any answer from you on this. What's the matter, you didn't trust your beloved team could beat McLaren?? Or just too scared to take a challenge, and put your money where your mouth is? You are not worthy of the team you allegedly support!!

F1nestkind - robson deserves it!

jarawa - "why­ the hell he did not let him by?" Um, because they were racing? You understand the concept of *racing*, yes?

robson - more bad news for you, ha ha ha!!! Guess what? If FIArrari are successful in their appeal against the 'Diffuser 3', and the D3 are disqualified - it will mean Lewis Hamilton will inherit the win and McLaren will have WON THE RACE!! Putting them even further ahead of the Maranello Muppets!! And I'll have a good laugh about that!! FIArraris' own appeal will put them *further* behind McLaren!! Ha ha ha!!! Actually, I hope the entire case is thrown out - I would MUCH rather see McLaren winning on the track instead of in the courtroom - but if it happens, it happens! It's out of my hands... Ha ha ha!!

Vettel - don't be sorry! It was racing - it's what you do! It's your job! Sometimes it doesn't work out - that's life! You should be sorry only if you just gave up and let Kubica pass!

I don't believe Vettel was any more to blame than Kubica - actually, it was simply an unfortunate racing incident. It happens. It's racing. There is no need to find a guilty party for EVERY incident! It's a race, for crying out loud - not an accident on a public road, with insurance, claims, etc. to worry about!

robson - Brawn have made their own luck! And I hope they continue having this 'luck'! And what about your Prancing Horses - more like Plodding Ponies or Dead Donkeys! They couldn't even finish the race! Is this how FIArrari concentrate on 'improving reliability'? Ha ha ha!!!

18th on the grid to 4th at the flag - not bad for someone who 'can't overtake' (according to some)! 14 positions made up during the race - explain THAT away!

Look at the camera coverage before you start blaming anyone, Webber.

It's a racing incident - get over it already!

What were some fools here saying about how Lewis can drive 'only in a good car'??? Next time you open your mouths - change feet!

What a great race! I'm glad Brawn pulled off a 1-2; well done to them! And it's good for Toyota too, with Trulli's 3rd place. As for Vettel / Kubica - simply a racing incident, each as much to blame as the other - 'it' happens! Predictably 'The Girl' failed to finish (his own fault - YET again!)...

energyman - explain your logic please: "Hamilton is capable of overtaking only if Mclaren have the best car". 'The best car' = 'the fastest car'. If he's in the fastest car, he must be in front of everyone. If he's in front of everyone, who exactly is there for him to overtake that you can say if he is capable of it or not? Anyway, unfortunately I don't have last years' overtaking stats (would be very interesting!), but I'm willing to put money on Hamilton having made more passes than any other driver. How is this 'not being capable'?

At this rate, ALL the cars will be excluded from qualifying! The toddlers at a pre-school creche show more maturity than most current F1 teams! Unbelievable!

fitznstarts - I think I see what you mean, but I still don't agree with Heads' assertion that the reason McLaren are slow this year is that they were spending so much time / money on last years' car. For example, Honda always spend HUGE on their cars *each* year, it didn't bring any results until now. McLaren simply got some maths wrong with this years' car, that's all.

What utter rubbish! Sure, McLaren do not have as good a car as the front-runners. But, Head's logic doesn't explain why his OWN team was so far behind the front for so many years!

Well, if THAT'S not a cry for help from their friends at the FIA, I don't know what is! I won't be at ALL surprised if the judgement goes against the 'Diffuser 3'.... Now, if FIArrari were one of them, it would be an entirely different case!

As much as I disliked what happened when he was at McLaren, I must admit - what he says in this article makes sense!

My respect for the man has gone up another notch!

"Last year Alonso whitewashed his team-mate in qualifying, but this year Piquet might turn it round and... no, of course not." - Brilliant!! :))

Hmmm, so FIArrari are involved now. Obviously the diffusers will be deemed illegal - just because of this!

"We'll make a market survey and decide (on the medal system) based on the results" = "I'll ask my fellow incompetents here at the FIA - and then we'll do what I want anyway."

Well, he has earned himself a couple of respect-points from me - although I'd feel better if I knew what his motives for saying this are.....

THussey - not sure that I agree with your reasoning. As I understand it, the system does not increase the top speed of the car along a straight, but its' acceleration (from a low speed). So it would be used more upon exiting a corner - of which there are many at Albert Park. Should be interesting though!

The McLaren fans who jumped ship to support other teams after reading about their pace in pre-season testing were never actually McLaren fans at all. Now that this 'medals' system is settled (for this year, at least) we might have an interesting year of racing ahead of us.

Good grief - Robson appears to be on the same page as the rest of us!!! If ever there was a sign that this 'winner-takes-all' idiocy is wrong, this has GOT to be it!!

So what??

hypno - that's only assuming the driver in 2nd place can get close enough to the driver in 1st to have any chance of passing whatsoever. If he can't, no points system in the world can ever change this, and it's absurd to think differently.

Levi369 - erm, believe it or not, the sports you mention DO have points - they're just not called 'points', and this is probably what has confused you. In soccer, for instance, the points are called 'goals'. The team with the most goals wins the match. In baseball the points are called 'runs', but otherwise the game is scored very much like soccer in terms of matches. And it's the same for the other sports you mentioned. One important difference however, is that in soccer 'goals' are not awarded to the players - they are awarded to the TEAM. What Bernice wants to do is take a points system for teams, and apply it to the drivers (players). This is one of the reasons his idea simply doesn't make sense. But it's no wonder you are confused - if you can't even understand a simple game like soccer, F1 (with it's dual points-scoring system - one for the drivers, and one for the teams) is probably FAR too complicated for you.

Talk about 'bringing the sport into disrepute'!!! The FIA should be prosecuted and fined!! About $100 million should be enough...

The FIA is a disgrace to motorsport - they can't even remember their OWN regulations???? Or now they only apply 'sometimes'; who do they think they are - FIArrari?

Levi369 - you are welcome to your opinion. However, it seems that the VAST majority of F1 fans feel otherwise. Isn't democracy wonderful? :P

f1nestkind - I completely agree with you!! Most of the best, most nail-biting and exciting battles in the history of F1 have NOT been for 1st place!

""If a driver was second, he'll be even more keen to pass the guy in front because the rewards for winning are so much greater than before." Not he uses the 3rd paerson - he doesn't say 'I' or 'me'. This loses him big points in my book. It makes everything he says hypothetical - in other words, no better that the Troll himself saying it.

viva_ferrari - it's only NOW that we're finding out about the REAL past; that FIArarri had help of $80 million (that's $80 000 000!) each time they won a championship, besides the 'other help' Bernie says they have had through the years. And we're not supposed to quesion the past????

deepwater330 - are these the same 'judges' who penalised Bourdais last year? If you can explain THAT decision, I will agree with the rest of what you have said. Deal?

latitude51uk - excellent post!!! :))

robson - is that a challenge of sorts I hear? What exactly do you pledge to do if McLaren beat FIArarri at Melbourne?

How would one go about oganising a public vote in say, a daily newspaper (preferably one with a very large circulation? Anyone here have contacts in the print industry? It's plainly no use us just complaining to ourselves here....

This 'market research' Max was mumbling about a while back. Anyone here see any of it? I certainly haven't.

Anyone notice he uses the word 'exploit' (as in, "GBP must be exploiting a loophole in the rules"). If FIArrari has been fastest, it would have been 'achievement'.

haroccena - "Why not run two F.1 competitions - one Europe and the Americas and the other - Middle east, Asia and the Far East" - erm, because the Americas, Middle East, Asia and the Far East are not actually competitors. F1 is about the F1 teams - not the tracks they race on.

Oh dear, looks like BGP will have the Stewards all over them this year, penalizing them for all sorts of unsubstantiated infractions of arcane rules, as happened last year with any team not having red cars....

Howee - actually, he has nothing to say - but says it anyway.

Define 'best'.

ajayacharya_250 - yep, it looks like the mind-games have started.

THussey - it seemed to work for Nelson.... :)

stream - we now know that the reason for this was the the Renault team were TOTALLY focussed on Alonso (lest he throw his toys out of the pram).

My respect for the man increased dramatically after Brazil 2008 - he showed himself to be a true gentleman; somewhat of a rarity these days. While I don't support his team, I can think of many other less-deserving drivers to win the Championship....

gilgen - Lewis is simply saying that he is totally committed to this years' Championship, nothing more. And ANY driver that doesn't say something similar shouldn't be driving at all. As for Massa and Raikkonen - Lewis is NOT responsible for their level of commitment; it has NOTHING to do with him - of course they will be committed! But I do agree on the implication you raised about the media coverage of the new World Champion - perhaps a little less would be a little better sometimes.

elvisbeavis - 10 points!! :)

hussainahm - well, FIArrari have that $80 000 000 or so 'extra' from Uncle Bernie to help them cover the costs of having 'only' 100 staff at (probably) the most expensive hotel in the area..... Not to worry, I'm sure they'll survive...

davratta - can you imagine the TV sets Luca would break in a year? :)) :))

It's quite simple really... ANY driver who starts the season NOT wanting to win both championships should not be driving at all. Whether they can / not, will / won't is completely immaterial. I personally believe 'the girl' will lose them the Manufacturers' title, and as for 'the whiner' - there are some unwritten rules a real man will never break. One of them is NEVER betray (or even threaten to betray) your team.

So, Max is asking the drivers for details of their salaries. Fair enough - let him also give details of exactly where the money goes. What it is spent on - and how. Why isn't the team entrance money (how much is it every year - $100 000? More?) enough? Exactly why should the drivers pay more in these days of reduced costs? Whether they earn 10, 100 or 1000 times more than the cost of the license is immaterial.

GPunsalan - actually, not so great. F1 *needs* 'backmarkers'. If only 2 cars were racing, technically the 2nd car is a 'backmarker'. Still think they're not needed in the sport? The more cars, the better F1 will be!

I'd personally prefer to read an article entitled 'Lewis: Max should head to the old age home'

deepwater330 - Well said! Good post!

spikeymikey - I didn't read that part of the interview where he said that. However, I believe he knows more about driving an F1 car than the Overtaking Working Group. Time will tell! :)

Aha! This probably means Bernie has promised a LOT more money and 'other help' to FIArrari if they agree with him! Typical of both of them! :(

Yeah, Luca - it's about as strange as FIArrari being paid about $80 million more for winning the constructors championship than another team would have been paid! Now THATS strange!

I see the FIA have done it yet again..... Let's see if I have this straight. Each driver gets 8 engines per season. If a 9th (or more) engine is ised, he drops 10 places - *but only AFTER* the 9th is installed. At 3 races per engine, and assuming only 1 'extra' engine per year, and assuming each driver will use an extra engine, this will mean that EVERYONE will drop 10 places - ALL drivers will drop these places *at the same race*!! Where then, is the penalty? If I have this wrong, please can someone explain it to me - as if I were a four-year-old?

No-one can deny Ron has achieved a great deal in his life - more than 99.9999% of the readers of these pages! It's sad to see him go, but all good things come to an end. The only constant is change.

I don't see what all the fuss is about. Even if Fry puts in a bid, he certainly will not be allowed to make the decision of who the team will be sold to by himself - Honda will, I'm sure, have the final say. And if Fry is the best man for the job - why not?? What would they rather have - the guys that came second or third in the bidding?? "Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large numbers!"

No-one can deny Ron has achieved a great deal in his life - more than 99.9999% of the readers of these pages! It's sad to see him go, but all good things come to an end. The only constance is change.

Bazrat - do you really think that this is the same McLaren that will take to the grid in Australia??? *ALL* teams will change their cars between now and then! silverarrow - actually, I hope FIArrari will *NOT* have a good view of the McLaren rear spoiler; the McLaren will be so far ahead that FIArrari (or any other) drivers won't even be able to see it at all! :)

Uh, actually it is because they DO have some sense that they do NOT agree to this ridiculous idea!

Editors - I have previously pointed out your lack of spelling ability, but it seems you also can't even cut-and-paste properly either. What does "make up for the lack the depth" mean (3rd paragraph of this article)? And in the text you were quoting (6th paragraph), it is correct! What is going on? Does NO-ONE check these things before publication? You are printing articles for the *entire world* to read - they should be of a higher standard - at *least* grammatically correct and without spelling errors.

THussey - uh, because he's a McLaren spokesman??

anishvshah - it means that (as usual) they will be 'allowed' to use a car / engine with higher specifications than the other teams (in other words, CHEAT). I imagine this is the 'extra help' Bernie referred to when he said that he 'bought' FIArrari's cooperation a short while back. They have probably had this 'help' for YEARS; and thus all the championships they 'won' will always be tainted. So, their car will not be required to meet the race specifications for the 2009 season.

summerss - Why a Ferrari engine? Because FIArrari will likely be 'allowed' to do things with their engine that Cosworth (and the rest of the teams on the grid) will not; and the Stewards will turn a blind eye because FIArrari is involved (like usual!). Brawn being 'friends' with FIArrari means nothing - they didn't exactly welcome him back with open arms when his years' holiday was over, in spite of all his help in winning them championships. And on another note: did someone break wind, or is that Robson I can smell?

It's not just that FIArrari are behind the other teams in terms of development of KERS - it's because they haven't yet found a way to get the Stewards to penalise the other teams for having (working) KERS on their cars, or to ban it for all cars - except theirs. They're definitely worried!

(Sniff, sniff) - is that the smell of sour grapes in my nostrils? :)

AngelDelight - I believe Robson & Gilgen are one and the same person. He *HAD* to dream up someone so that at least ONE person will agree with him on these comment boards. He probably has no life BUT these comments - you'd be hard pressed to find any article where he hasn't said something (stupid). He thrives on rubbing people up the wrong way. AKA 'troll'.

Robson - "it is only the moronic PF1 readers which need educating" - yourself being chief among them?

" F1 needs Ferrari more than any other team" - what a load of bull!! *NO* team is the be-all and end-all of F1. We watch F1 to see TEAMS racing each other - not just 1 team circulating around a track. No matter which team you support, *each* team is as important to F1 as the others - without the others, who will they race against?

Robson, gilgen - FIArrari hadn't been able to win ANY championship whatsoever; not the drivers nor the manufacturers; for (how long was it?) TWENTY-ONE years, and then, through cheating, unsporting behaviour, bribery and help from the stewards they get a few titles - and foolish people start worshipping the ground FIArrari walks on! And these same stupid people assert that FIArrari *IS* F1???? That F1 'cannot survive' without FIArrari???? Did someone throw a brick in your pram when you were a baby? At least the titles won by other teams are REAL - they *WON* them! 'Won' as in 'were not given them'! This makes Hamiltons' victory SO much sweeter!! May there be MANY more!!! Max, Bernie *AND* FIArrari should ALL leave F1! And good riddance!

"No F1 without FIArarri"????? Get real.....

There are a LOT more skeletons in THAT cupboard! So much for 'sporting fairness'!

No wonder Alonso dreams of driving for them one day..... Talk about 'team orders'!

Robson - you are always rabidly harping on and foaming at the mouth about your 'superteam', like a dog with the mange; about how 'humble' and 'righteous' they are, about how only other teams cheat, and that they would never do ANYTHING even remotely unsporting, and that EVERYONE is treated completely fairly in F1! What do you have to say about them now? For someone with usually SO much to say about everything, your silence is deafening......

This should be interesting.... FIArarri *DID* have direct help all these years; the conspiracy stories were true! Now they are apparently biting the hand that feeds them....

Imagine my surprise.......

Well, the medals vote is obviously not going Bernie's way, as it's been taken down - and I bet that's the last any of us will ever hear of it.

Robson - obviously you are referring to the way in which MS never cheated (or at least, attempted to cheat - by not driving into other drivers, parking his car on the track during qualifying, etc...), or the way in which Ferrari never cheat (by threatening their #2 driver that if he didn't let MS ahead, he could lose his drive with the team, running their car with parts later deemed illegal, etc...), and so on..... And let's not forget to add (my personal favourite) - the driver you would apparently most like to see at FIArarri: Alonso, one of the MAIN people involved in the scandal you so love to harp on about. You are pathetic.

Robson - maybe your mother is interested in your comments, but I can't think of anyone else who is.

I bet they have swapped the voting buttons on their 'survey' page on the Official F1 site.... After all, who probably pays their salaries?

Bernie only wants gold, silver & bronze medals because he can't count past 3....

In terms of pure excitement, *nothing* can beat the last few laps of Belgium - THAT was racing; awesome! I wonder where the writers of this article were then, and what they were watching, that they didn't even mention Spa at all? Not even to say that, for some obscure reason, it couldn't be included?

I'm sorry, but three F1 cars going around a track does NOT make a race. Anyone else notice how he's completely silent about the other 15 or so drivers that are expected to compete, many of them with NO chance of getting ANY medals EVER? Exactly how are they to be 'incentivised'?

"I don't think the fans go to races or switch on their TV to watch a great driver aim for fifth place". And this assumption is based on *what* exactly? How many fans have you spoken to to get their opinion? Wait a minute, I think I read something about you talking to a fan once, was it 1979 or 1982 - I can't remember! Anyway, it was such an uncommon event that it made the news!

"I don't think the fans go to races or switch on their TV to watch a great driver aim for fifth place". On the contrary, it is EXACTLY because McLaren were only aiming for 5th place that the race was as exciting as it was - if they had aimed to win, there is no doubt that Lewis would have qualified further up the grid, and fans would NOT have been holding their breath on the final lap of the race. More evidence that he has clearly lost any ability he may have had to think coherently.

"I don't think the system should produce that kind of result" - the first 3 words say it all.....

Bernie - don't EVER make the mistake of telling me what I want to see in F1! Just don't. Quite simply, your medals idea is stupid, idiotic and totally devoid of ANY merit whatsoever. It just shows how little you really know (or care) about F1, the fans, the teams, the drivers, etc. My dog shows more intelligence than you could ever dream of! 'Senility' is not the word! You should skip the old-age home and go directly to the grave! Imbecile! You make a village idiot look like a rocket-scientist!

biso9700 - are you using your mobile phone to type your comments, or is your PC keyboard faulty? Or maybe you're just trying to be 'kewl!? When you leave out / replace half the letters of words it makes it unpleasant reading your posts - even when you make valid points about something.

bjchap - you have a valid point. As interesting as it would be to have F1 at Kyalami again, I just can't imagine it being successfully implemented - and with all the crime in SA nowadays, it could turn out to be a complete disaster. Pity.

R1ckspeed - you are talking through your ring-piece; and your breath stinks. You obviously know ZERO about South Africa. Actually, I'd hazard a guess this is 'par for the course' for you......

What is "conserteted" (see opening paragraph)?

"Acting in the best interest of the fans" - what a load of baloney!! Since when has ANY fan EVER been asked for an opinion on ANY F1 matter? Only *NOW* has it been suggested that 'market research' might be conducted..... (and I'll believe it when I see it!) Saying things like this makes him sound like Max & Bernie - completely removed from society at large!

I'm also surprised that Mosely is saying this, but then, remember that the Law of Averages says that he will probably get *something* right at some point in time..... Maybe this is just one of those times!

Well done, Rubens! Although this will have zero influence on your future F1 career, I hope you're still with us next year!

So, the Overtaking Working Group (or whatever it was called) was all just another waste of time, effort and money. They should just have asked Bernie how to solve the problem! Of course, he knows more than they collectively do! And the rule changes for next year are similarly just a waste of time too! All these changes for nothing! Someone should explain the meaning of the word 'senile' to him....

The reason there is less overtaking nowadays compared to the past has less to do with points or medals, but the fact that the cars on the grid are so close to each other in terms of performance compared to years gone by. Nowadays the entire grid is covered by 2 seconds or so. Anyone remember the '107%' rule? Some cars were so far ahead of others that some were actually excluded from races for being too slow - and 7% of any lap time is MUCH more than 2 seconds, even on a shorter circuit. Cars nowadays have FAR less advantage over other cars, and THIS is the real reason overtaking is so difficult nowadays. Which goes to show that Bernie knows almost as much about applied science as my hamster....

For '2009 rules' read 'Max & Bernie'....

No wonder it's apparently Alonso's Dream Team (as long as HE will be #1 if / when he signs on!). Why am I not surprised?

So Bernie, you think that only the 1st, 2nd and 3rd drivers (and presumably their teams as well) should get points (or 'medals', call them what you will). As I understand it, teams are allocated prize money at the end of each year according to the number of points they have accumulated, yes? Under your new scheme, exactly HOW will teams lower down the grid get any share of the prize money at all? And without any such prize money, HOW will they continue to be able to race in the coming years? And weren't you one of the guys saying you want to make it *easier* for the teams further down the grid? How does not getting any prize money make it easier for them - except to quit F1 altogether?

"The reason there's no overtaking is nothing to do with the circuit or the people involved" - OK, Bernie Brains, if you know everything about overtaking (even more than the engineers who study car performance for YEARS in their respective teams), please tell us all exactly why YOU helped change the system from the old '1st 6' points system to the current '1st 8' system? Either you were wrong then - or you are wrong now. You can't have it both ways. Personally I think there's a valid reason why in almost every industry there is a MANDATORY retirement age.

Yeah, right Bernie - blame the drivers. When was the last time YOU drove a Formula 1 car? I doubt you would even know which end is the front! As for drivers being 'scared to overtake' - this is directly the fault of YOU, and your bosom-buddy Max and all your cronies: 1 word - 'Stewards'! And forget about bias in favour of McLaren / Ferrari, forget about Spa - please tell us all, what EXACTLY did Bourdais (Toro Rosso) do wrong in Japan? And why is the reason he was penalised still a secret? And you still blame the drivers? Unbelievable!

"This year, we saw on a number of occasions Lewis not overtaking Massa for that reason," Ecclestone added." - name one.

ilAlfisto - maybe I'm not a smart 4-year-old. You have said that it will make qualifying more interesting. But I had already read that in the original article - you did not add any new ideas. What I want to know is HOW. Again, referring to my original comment, can someone please explain?

And I thought it was only DC who was the 'sh1t-magnet'!

So, they want to #%?& with the qualifying AGAIN?? Let's see if I understand the situation - they want to 'mix up the grid' a little. Try to not have 'the fastest cars at the front'; to 'give a chance to those further back'. To this end they will give a Championship Point to the driver in pole position. Who is likely to be in either THE fastest car on the grid, or at least in a car that is faster than most. Which means in all likelyhood that he is driving for one of the top 3 teams. Who will already likely collect most of the Championship Points each race, the whole season through. And they want to give him an extra 'free' point?? To 'even things out'?? Can someone please explain EXACTLY how this will make the season more exciting? As if I were a four-year-old? I just don't get it!

What's that, Luca? Ferrari hasn't got their KERS system ready yet - and therefore no-one (including Ferrari) should have it next year? Just in case another team might be quicker than yours next year? Your arrogance is just one of the reasons I will never support Ferrari, or any of their drivers.

Salvano Please explain: "And Kubica was fighting with Raikkonen for the third place." The official results show Kubica finished in 11th position - 1 full lap down on the leaders. (http://www.formula1.com/results/season/2008/804/). How exactly was he racing for 'third position' 2 laps from the end of the race?

Piquet to stay at Renault? Imagine my surprise..... NOT!! Realistically - *who* else was going to partner Alonso? And (also realistically) - *where* else was Alonso going to go? He had no options BUT to stay with Renault (or not drive for a year)! All the other teams he wanted to join were suddenly 'happy with their drivers'. Funny, that! And how do they expect to keep Alonso happy? Make sure he has #1 status! How to do that? Give him a team-mate who, mildly put, can't drive for toffee!! Look what happened at McLaren - he was incapable of out-driving his team-mate, so he demanded 'team orders'! And we ALL know what happened when McLaren declined! The cry-baby! And we ALL know that he didn't win his first WDC title so much as McLaren lost it with the abominable lack of reliability that they had back then! And he was just plain lucky too, second time around! 'Double World Champion' - yeah, right! Renault, Alonso & Piquet - they deserve each other! Who BUT Piquet to partner Alonso next year? One of the new up-and-coming junior drivers? Can't have that - he might be as fast or (Gasp!) even faster than Alonso! There's no F%$#&^G way Renault is gonna let THAT happen! But Piquet must REALLY want to stay in F1 if he even agreed to be used as a foot-stool by Alonso for the entire 2009 season - didn't he have enough in 2008? And isn't this the same guy that, in 2007, was telling us, "I'm ready for F1!", and, "I deserve a drive in F1!", and (my personal favourite!), "I will only accept a seat in a top team - no 'backmarker' status for me!" For sure, none of the aforementioned 'up-and-coming' guys would have accepted the seat at Renault. Every time I heard the name 'Piquet', I've laughed, all the year through!! Looks like next year will be the same!

Well, Massa has earned a few 'Respect' points from me with what he said. He also would have been a deserving Champion.

CooperS - the driver may do this himself, from the cockpit. IrishAnders - there was no problem with Lewis' engine all season. Why, then should they change it, given that they know it works? DarkDefender - yes, I also hope the best driver (as opposed to the most-reliable car) wins. We'll know who it is soon!

The FIA's handling of the 'spy scandal' in 2007 was absolutely appalling! They spoiled F1 much more than the spying McLaren was alleged to have done. They botched up everything they tried to do, every time they tried to do it! Not that EVERYONE at McLaren were squeaky-clean, but the FIA totally mishandled the entire affair. They could so easily have done SO much better!

I think a key difference between what happened in China and what happened a few years ago is that back then the order came from the Team Boss, and the drivers had to obey. In China (and elsewhere this year) the drivers were free to make their own decisions. I have no problem with this.

Why is it that, while everyone else in F1 is talking about 'less money', Bernie seems to want even more?

"...then I had a hit on the rear-right and they told me it was Bourdais." So in actual fact, he didn't see what happened himself (he had to be told what had happened) - but he blames Bourdais anyway? Haven't I heard something like this before recently, from another F1 driver? Is this the new trend in F1; "I didn't see what happened, but it must have been him!" Are these guys training to be future Stewards?

Maybe these ridiculous Stewards decisions from Japan have had 1 good effect - perhaps Bourdais thought, "Well, I didn't do anything wrong in Japan - and I still got punished! So f%$# it - I'm gonna go for it here in China!" I think that's the kind of mentality that could help a driver achieve more, as long as he keeps a cool head, and doesn't go overboard with it. What has he got to lose? Anyway, Bourdais, I hope you're still with us next year! :)

First Hamilton, now Bourdais. Who is Trulli going to complain about next?

Piquet????? WHAT are they smoking???? I thought Ross was clever - until now! Surely they can't be serious?!?! I mean, this is the same girl who was saying last year about how he was 'ready for F1', and that he 'deserves a seat' - and what exactly has he achieved this season? His ONLY claim to fame is that he got lucky with a Safety Car once.....

Can someone please explain to me, as if I were a 4-year old, exactly how the implementation of this idea will make the RACING more exciting? And maybe I've got this wrong, but isn't RACING the reason we watch it on TV so avidly?

Here's an idea to make the sport more exciting that probably won't cost them any more than they're paying now - bring in REAL Stewards to make decisions; real stewards being ex-F1 drivers! Then we can at least watch F1 for the racing - and not for the ridiculous decisions made after the race! Actually, they could even use some existing F1 drivers - some of them are quite boring on the track, may as well get SOME use out of them.....

So, the manufacturers will not just leave F1? Let's think about this a little.... Why are they in F1 in the first place? Mainly so they can get people to see their car in a race. Why? So they can say, "That's our car. We made it!", and to get support from people buying their products because they liked what they saw on the racetrack. What incentive will they have to stay in F1 if they can't make their own car any more? What is in it for them? Very little! So, Bernie - tell us again why they will stay in F1?

Obiswift - well said!! :)

It sounds to me as if the Formula 1 drivers have all become pansies - always whinging about how difficult it is to overtake; and then they whinge even more when someone proves them wrong! They are content to play follow-my-leader all the way to the finish line (and their paycheck) - and they call themselves 'racers'? Even my Granny would make a better racer than some of these cry-babies! 'If you can't take the heat, stay out of the kitchen'! - this is not rocket-science! Like him or not, Hamilton has probably made double the overtaking moves of all the other drivers put together! Yes, he makes mistakes - but show me just ONE other driver who hasn't! And as for the idiots they bring in as 'Stewards'...... Pathetic!

Raikkonen was probably expecting expecting 'team orders' to be given to the McLarens to let him be in front - even though they are a different team. :)

I agree - this is an excellent synopsis of the penalties meted out this season! Thankyou PF1!! Would it be possible for you guys to do a similar synopsis of 2007? Please? I'm thinking only of Stewards decisions (not what happened in the courtrooms). I'm sure many readers would be quite interested.

Doesn't Alonso have dreams of one day joining Ferrari?.....

Well, he would deny it, wouldn't he!! What else *can* he say?