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[Hammer278]

Stolen from another forum:

Italian minister says Montezemolo should quit over title loss

Luca di Montezemolo should resign immediately as Ferrari president after the Italian marque blew Fernando Alonso's title hopes in Abi Dhabi.

That was the emotional charge late on Sunday by Roberto Calderoni, a minister in the Berlusconi cabinet.

Despite being the points leader going into the 2010 finale and needing just a fifth place to be champion, Spaniard Alonso was pitted early by Ferrari in response to Mark Webber's pitstop and finished seventh.

"Despite the ability of the excellent Alonso, Ferrari has managed to lose a championship already won," said Calderoni.

"We are ashamed of this insane strategy and he (Montezemolo) is guilty," said Calderoni.

"He should get out of Maranello immediately so he does no further harm to Ferrari," added the minister. "By the evening, we expect his resignation."

According to the Rome newspaper Il Messaggero, Montezemolo responded: "Sometimes winners lose, but we do not give up.

"There are some small people who systematically root against the country and its symbols. Luckily they are the minority," he added.

Alonso also defended Ferrari's strategy.

"Afterwards it is very easy to see the best strategy," said the Spaniard. "This is a sport and sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Congratulations to Red Bull and Sebastian (Vettel), next year we will try again."

________________________________

I think its high time the minister stepped down.

[bud]

I think its high time the minister stepped down.

uh yeah... what an Idiot!

[smokin]

WTF? Massa threatened with jail in Brazil, Montezemolo asked to resign by (a representative of) the Italian government? Some people need to get their priorities right - or hire a better PR strategist.

[Herbs]

Italy - pretty much a lock for the overly melodramatic.

[The Oz]

[kaizensuru]

Politicians should be a race in extinction sometimes.

[scotty]

Pahaha. I bet the guy only watched this one race all season. Actually i bet he didn't even watch it, and was just told what happened.

[Denthúl]

Guy is a fool.

Any reports on whether or not Luca visited an electronics store following yesterday's race?

[Robert12010]

this really is just stupid, to say the least !

[Fred_C_Dobbs]

If you think the Italians have been unsympathetic, you should check some of the Spanish newspapers. Absolutely brutal!

[What's Burning?]

I want to hear what Berlusconi has to say.

Race? what race?

[vaptin]

I want to hear what Berlusconi has to say.

Race? what race?

I'm the grid girls focused his attention to f1

Ferrari had a pretty good season, they assume wrongly that the softs would quickly drop of, ah well.

I think they have a excellent base to build on next season.

[kerc]

Wow, what an idiot. After hearing that, Luca must be like this -->

[texasmr2]

Stolen from another forum:

Italian minister says Montezemolo should quit over title loss

Luca di Montezemolo should resign immediately as Ferrari president after the Italian marque blew Fernando Alonso's title hopes in Abi Dhabi.

That was the emotional charge late on Sunday by Roberto Calderoni, a minister in the Berlusconi cabinet.

Despite being the points leader going into the 2010 finale and needing just a fifth place to be champion, Spaniard Alonso was pitted early by Ferrari in response to Mark Webber's pitstop and finished seventh.

"Despite the ability of the excellent Alonso, Ferrari has managed to lose a championship already won," said Calderoni.

"We are ashamed of this insane strategy and he (Montezemolo) is guilty," said Calderoni.

"He should get out of Maranello immediately so he does no further harm to Ferrari," added the minister. "By the evening, we expect his resignation."

According to the Rome newspaper Il Messaggero, Montezemolo responded: "Sometimes winners lose, but we do not give up.

"There are some small people who systematically root against the country and its symbols. Luckily they are the minority," he added.

Alonso also defended Ferrari's strategy.

"Afterwards it is very easy to see the best strategy," said the Spaniard. "This is a sport and sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Congratulations to Red Bull and Sebastian (Vettel), next year we will try again."

________________________________

I think its high time the minister stepped down.

[Fact Man]

Ferrari hit back at Italian politicians

Ferrari bosses heaped scorn on Italian politicians after some called for heads to roll over the team's failure to win the Formula One championship.

Roberto Calderoli, a minister from the far-right Northern League party, had said that Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo should quit after a "demented strategy" cost Spaniard Fernando Alonso a possible third title.

"When the statesman Calderoli will achieve in his life one percent of what Ferrari has done for this country in terms of industry and sports, then he'll deserve an answer," declared Montezemolo on the company website www.ferrari.com.

Piero Ferrari, son of the carmaker's late founder Enzo, said he was "astonished and saddened" by certain statements some politicians and a minister of the Italian Republic made after yesterday's race.

"It has never happened in my entire life at Ferrari that politicians intervened during good and bad moments in our life in motorsport, and I want it to stay like this," he added.

"But if we want to have a look at how much Ferrari has done for Italy's image around the world, then I can only say that it is definitely much more than certain politics have done."

Alonso had started Sunday's race with an eight point lead over Red Bull's Australian Mark Webber and 15 clear of the same team's Sebastian Vettel.

Germany's Vettel won the final race of the season to become the youngest champion at 23 while Alonso finished seventh and missed out by four points.

Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali said the team had made a strategic mistake in bringing Alonso in for an early pitstop shortly after Webber. Both dropped down the order and became stuck behind other drivers who had also already pitted.

However he said one such mistake should not define a strong season for the team.

"It's like when you get to the final of the football World Cup and it goes to penalties: if you manage to put away all five spotkicks you're a hero -- if you miss one you're a donkey," he said.

"We will have to know how to accept that sport is a matter of victories and defeats and anyone who works in this field knows that well.

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/15112010/ ... cians.html