03/03/2010
NEWS STORY
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Always one to be relied on for calling a spade a spade, Mark Webber has slammed the debacle that is the saga of the new teams as "embarrassing" and "Mickey Mouse".
With the FIA due to issue the definitive 2010 entry list, there is still intense speculation as to who will and who won't be on it.
While fans can just about handle the Ferrari-engined Sauber being called a BMW-Sauber, and maybe even accept Hispania Racing as opposed to Campos Meta, what everyone really needs to know is will Stefan GP be granted a slot now that US F1 has called for a year's grace.
Thankfully, at a time when we thought we might be the only ones feeling totally hacked off by this sorry saga, Mark Webber has weighed in with his two-penn'orth.
"It's embarrassing,'' said the Red Bull driver, according to the Australian Associate Press. "It's incredible that people who haven't yet turned a wheel take part in grands prix. It's the sort of stuff from Mickey Mouse or Tom and Jerry. It would make more sense to field Valentino Rossi with his bike on the grid.''
In all honesty, "embarrassing" is putting it mildly. Less than two works before the most anticipated season in recent history, we are still waiting to find out who will and who won't be on the grid.
While it is all very well for people to claim that Stefan GP should be automatically granted US F1's entry, and maybe even allow Hispania Racing to miss a race or two, it is Webber and his fellow drivers who have to share the track - and thereby risk their lives - with these unproven cars and, in some cases, unproven drivers.
As a leading light in the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) Webber should be insisting that his fellow drivers have a say in this most important issue.
While the decision to scrap the entry bond was welcomed, the shenanigans in recent weeks demonstrate that it is vital that new entries are held financially accountable for such sagas. As for the safety issues involved here, with neither Hispania or Stefan having turned a wheel, one shudders to think, especially when the new rules for 2010 already threaten to raise the stakes a little higher.
This will be a perfect opportunity for Jean Todt to stamp his authority on the FIA - especially as this saga was inherited from his predecessor - the perfect opportunity for the Frenchman to demonstrate that from now on things will be run his way.