21/06/2013
NEWS STORY
The law is indeed a ass, according to Ferrari's infamous Horse Whisperer, the totally unofficial voice of Maranello.
Though the Italian team carried out its own test with Pirelli earlier this year, albeit with a 2011 car and with test driver Pedro de la Rosa, along with Red Bull it banged in an official protest as soon as news of Mercedes test (with a 2013 car and both race drivers) broke over the course of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend.
Ominously, Pirelli has yet to react to yesterday's ruling while Mercedes has accepted the decision and the punishment - then again it would seeing as it had gone to the extent of recommending what its punishment might be.
While we await the customary reaction from Luca di Montezemolo, the Italian marque's president, the Italian team's unofficial spokesperson has broken out of his stable to make his feelings known.
"Officially, Ferrari has never been in the habit of commenting on verdicts," he begins.
"However, as you all know, the Horse Whisperer is a free spirit who sums up the mood of millions of fans, especially when certain incidents get him worked up.
"Have you ever faced accusations in a tribunal? It's never happened to the Whisperer thank goodness, but it can't be pleasant. But today we learned, that even if one is guilty and in this case that is an indisputable and verified fact, there is always a way of muddling through as best one can. One only has to suggest to the judge what the penalty should be and even better, why not make it something light like a rap across the knuckles.
"It is somewhat perplexing to say the least to see that the guilty party can get away virtually scot free for having derived "an unfair sporting advantage". Don't tell me that testing for three days on your own at the Catalunya circuit is the same as doing so with nine other teams at Silverstone with a host of young hopefuls at the wheel, in an area where the weather can still be changeable even in the height of summer. And what if this whole incident had taken place after the young drier test, what would have been the penalty then? Would they have been forbidden from holding an end of year dinner?
"In one sense then, it's a bit like when a ghost goal is scored against you and isn't disallowed and then your opponents are incorrectly awarded a penalty, which has no effect on the result, incidents which both the English and the Germans ought to remember well, don't you think? It's not something that can be remedied with a penalty in the next game…
"The way things are going in Formula 1 at the moment is becoming boring: you make a mistake, you race with an illegal component, but then you are told to just change it for the next race and we've seen what we've seen…
"All this reminds the Whisperer that if he ever finds himself running a Formula 1 team in the near future and that he gets off to a difficult start to the season, then all it needs is to organise a nice week of testing at the right moment and then maybe have to skip a later session, by which time, everything could be done and dusted. What do you reckon?
"And to those who jabber on about transparency and credibility," he concludes, "the Whisperer would remind them that the rules are very clear: you cannot test with a car from the current year. With those that are at least two years old, you can run when you like, where you like, with any driver you like, dressed how you like, inviting who you like."
Clearly, the Italian team is far from happy. But what of Red Bull? What of Pirelli?