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marcl
There are many brits that actually do not like Mclaren or Lewis
I don't like many/any of the teams or drivers off the track. For example I love watching both Lewis and Alonso driving, but to me they're both cocks who've done little to enhance their reputations out of the cockpit. The actions of the past 3 years have only further cemented that opinion.
I can't be a fan of cardboard PR machines, so I do appreciate the odd shaped comment (Webber of late and Rubens last year) or display of passion (Alonso's gesture). Vettel pre-2010 seemed a great personality, yet he himself has gone down a little in my estimations. Just shows what the pressure and PR-centric nature of high profile sport does to most. It's why I liked Jean Alesi - he was never the best, but the guy always give his all and showed plenty of Latin passion both on and off the track. He excited fans. The same went for Gilles Villeneuve and to a lesser extent Ronnie Peterson.
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J i m
The issue is that it's against the rules and as such can not be defended.
Hmm. I'm not 100% confident on that one - I think Ferrari do have a ray of light on one count. To our knowledge, Ferrari didn't give Felipe a
direct instruction to wave Alonso through. They expressed in no uncertain terms that's what they wanted and indeed that's what they got, but in the end it was Felipe driving the car.
Countering that, obviously Felipe himself is part of the team (or not as the case may soon be!), so is issuing himself with an order (for want of a better way of phrasing that) enough to contravene the rules, or is it enough just have it stressed to him?
Regarding article 39.1 of the sporting regulations, I think their lawyers will have a degree of leeway to defend as an
order to him wasn't directly given to our knowledge.
However regarding article 151c of the sporting code, I doubt they have can offer anything in the way of defence, and for me this is the more important of the two ("[...] any act prejudicial to the interests of any competition or to the interests of motor sport generally"
, given that both the act and the Ferrari's handling of the aftermath is bringing the sport into disrepute.