- 05 Sep 10, 03:35#213639
I can't decide whether "there is a majority" or "there are a majority" is right but who cares? Because you're right - there's certainly a lot of objective Ferrari fans, thank goodness. Makes up for the few objectionable ones!
At the end of the day F1 is a business. It is that simple. The fans are secondary and basically running the business is and will always be first. This applies to all sports. We can all argue here for the next 10 years but it will not change this reality. Think of it like this, if the business all of a sudden goes bad, it wont matter what the F1 fans think because there will be no F1. And I am affraid I am going to have to say what all Ferrari haters don't want to hear, that is Ferrari is an essential part of the running and success of the F1 as a business. Ferrari brings in most of the fans and sponsors and other business in F1. So you know what, the FIA cannot do anything to Ferrari if they want to keep the F1 business nice healthy. Literally ban Ferrari for even a race and you watch participation in the subsequent GP be reduced. And that cannot be good for business and F1 as a whole. So take it as you want, but this is the way it is now and the way it will always be.
Fortunately, there is a majority of fans (objective Ferrari fans) who realise and have voiced out that Ferrari did wrong and deserve punishment. So, even if there are a few fans who are blind to the teams' wrongdoing the FIA can still act based on what's best in the perspective of majority.
Banning Ferrari for a race or stripping them off their points in Hockenheim, would simply be justice served and a stern reminder to other teams not to play around like Ferrari did. I hope for the FIA to assert themselves and hand down the necessary penalty. Especially after how Ferrari showed their arrogance after actually 'challenging' them by saying they'd take legal action if the FIA hand down a penalty which affects Ferraris WDC campaign.
I can't decide whether "there is a majority" or "there are a majority" is right but who cares? Because you're right - there's certainly a lot of objective Ferrari fans, thank goodness. Makes up for the few objectionable ones!

A learned blockhead is a greater blockhead than an ignorant one.