Ferrari2007 Wrote:
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> As far as I remember the Mclaren and Ferrari were
> also found to have TC coding in their cars
> electronics but no one complained
> I dont undertand why the thought that Benetton
> simply designed a quality car is never considered,
> the B194 was an evolution of the 92 and 93 cars
> and both were pretty handy
You are poorly informed.
Ferrari was caught because Nicola Larini admitted by accident during a press conference that he had been running "a sort of traction control device" during one of the practice sessions at the Pacific GP. Nothing was found in the source code requested after the San Marino Grand prix. But Ferrari was still busted for it, and not allowed to run the device again.
Mclaren had a sophisticated gearbox, with a pre-selection method activated by the driver, which optimized gear selection. That allowed for extreme application of engine braking while downshifting and minimized wheel spin between up shifts. The hearing and ruling about the gearbox was scheduled for the same time that the hearing was for Bennettons illegal removal of the filter in the fuel nozzle, which incidentally left Verstappen and four mechanics with burns. You cannot blame the press nor the public for finding that a more captivating story, than drawn out, complex and technical discussions over a gearbox. Again nothing was found in the source code requested after the San Marino Grand prix. McLaren argued to the FIA, that they didn't know that their gearbox was to be considered a driving aid. The FIA accepted that explanation, but McLaren was not allowed to run it again.
Ignoring a black flag (British Grand Prix) and grinding more than the allowed limit off the plank (Belgian Grand Prix), and appealing both those disqualifications probably didn't mitigate the 1994 Bennetton cheating accusations. That John Watson, Allard Kalff, and David Coulthard while commentating the French Grand Prix for Eurosport, pointed out that Michael's impressive start of the race was probably made with launch control didn't help for sure!
The inquiry about the Launch Control feature was one long collection of defensive moves and lies from Bennetton after another. If you so wish, examples can be provided.
Lastly, Michael was YEARS ahead of Verstappen all season. The best he could do was about a 0.9 second split. That is massive. At Hockenheim the split was 3 seconds. Michael was better than Verstappen, but he was NOT 3 seconds better. Mind you, this was the old Hockenheim, which consisted mostly of straights. No way MS was ever going to be 3 seconds faster in similar equipment. He wouldn't even be 3 seconds faster in the same model car, with all the best production parts. Something else was afoot.
It's only after we've lost everything, that we are free to do anything.
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 12/09/2011 04:47PM by Morbid.