Ferrari wheeler dealing

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glojo

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An interesting but very long article

Many, many moons ago I stated there was no way that schumacher would be brave enough to race against Kimi Raikkonen.

Regards
John
 
I was looking forward to this article but nearly choked when I saw who wrote it.

Tom Rubython, a rubber lipped buffoon. He is typical of this kind of journolistic twaddle. He left F1 magazine after he wrote about the Newey/Lauda affair with McJag gate a few years back.

Quietly he settled out of court, agreeing he made up huge chunks of the story.*

Ferrari and Schumi had an exit strategy and it played out. Not only was Kimi a free agent for 2007, but so was Alonso. If Kimi wanted to stay at McLari he could have agreed new terms. He wanted to move on, his stated aim was always to win a championship, and to drive for Ferrari! (Even Senna wanted to drive for Ferrari).

It makes good reading, even if its a complete fabrication.


But to answer your first point where you said Schumi didn't want to race against Kimi!

He didn't want to race against any driver who could beat him. Kimi was destined to go to Ferrari for 2003 in any case. After his Sauber contract expired. McLaren stole him under their noses!

The remnants of that affair still rumble on, but it started when the FIA initally refused to allow Kimi superlicence. He was given one on a 3 race basis and the overseers of that were a Mr J Todt and a Mr R Dennis. Whilst Todt was working on Ferrari maintaining their lead in the constructors, and knowing that Kimi would learn in the sauber, Ron bought him out of his contract before Ferrari could.

The elements of that story are in that waffle Tom has written, but he decided to employ some amount of fantasy to it.


Tom is the man who famously quoted that " F1 team principles may get pressure, but its nothing compared to the pressure cooker enviroment of the publishing industry!"

That still cheers me up knowing he said it in his resignation from F1 mag, due to his above idiotic story telling. He wasn't bitter was he?


*By the way, it kept quiet as a certain Mr Bernard Charles Ecclestone owned the magazine!
 
I find it a very long winded article wrote by someone who possibly gets paid by the word :devil: :) but factually is there anything in it that is false? The folks mentioned are not renowned for being quiet when it comes to litigation and I note how you are repeating some of the reported incidents.

Folks certainly gave me stick when I had the nerve to suggest that schumacher would not stick around if Kimi arrived on the scene with a contract that allowed him to race on an equal footing, plus it is an insult to my intelligence if you are suggesting that schumacher had become bored with F1? If something happened to Kimi then before you could say 'a' I guarantee that scumacher would be sat in that number 1 car. :devil: :D

I can't make up my mind about the claims regarding Rossi? The test times were okay, but they certainly never set the World a light, but then again he would have been the ideal number two.

Yes Raikkonen was on probation when he first arrived on the F1 circuit, but by crikey he was good, no top car for that young man but he still managed to get a point in his first race. Then there is the alleged wheeler dealing carried out by Raikkonen's manger, Briatori does not speak very highly of him at all, at all.

John
 
I am not arguing your point about shumi at all.

I fully concur that he was, drive with Kimi, or leave. But what this idiot tom faisl to higlight was, it was Schumi's choice not his.

Luca may well have chatted with Todt about how to go about Schumi's exit, and they had to look at Ferrari's longer term. But to suggest that Schumi did not have a hand in this is just rubbish.

If he wanted to race, and it was race with kimi or your out, he would easily have been partner to Alonso don't you think?

But then, Schumi had a choice. Give it up for a year and see how Kimi gets on. Some thought he would walk after the year, MS steps back in a saviour. MS gets bored and wants to come back, Offload Massa.

The way tom puts it, is Luca said do this or else!

You think Schumi would still be at Ferrari now if that was the case!

They knew Brawn was on his way, so the did some rearranging ready for him too. He just didnt quite get his way so he is now at some other team!

Tom cleverly avoids any reference to anything thats either factually incorrect, or to prove the points he made regarding driver salaries, they would have to open up confidential info other teams want sight of.

He is waging McLarens confidentiality against Ferrari's and his column inches don't detract from the sport.

Only Schumi would be insulted by the refrences this clown makes, and he has the advantage of knowing the truth, so it will go away.

Actually, it did, and it certainly wasn't big news when it was published.

You are fully right about Schumi not wanting to have faster drivers than him.

You do know he blocked JV from signing for 2000?


Schumi as very good, but Kimi, Alonso, Hakkinen would have kept him honest. In fact I think Button, Lewis would too.

Come to that, Rosberg, Heiki and Kubica may well be good enough.

And Sutil and Piquet jr may well be up there, and this bourdais guy may be in with a shout too.

Who's left I didnt mention!
 
For those who have read this thread,

maybe you mite be interested in this

and this

possibly this too

and you never know
 
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For those who have read this thread,

maybe you mite be interested in this
He clearly upsets people and cannot be accused of being a party man. I find his articles long winded and perhaps he voices things that others think but dare not say? I do not accept schumacher willingly retired and was fed-up with the sport. If Raikkonen had not gone to Ferrari does anyone genuinely believe this person would still have walked? I accept you agree that he would have stayed but are we seriously saying he was not fighting his corner? Jean Todt had a great relationship with his number one driver and it would be silly to suggest Todt would want to replace his World Champion. Ross Brawn also stated how he was a Ferrari man through and through and after the 12 month sabbatical he would only consider going back to Ferrari? This bloke suggested that Brawn stated if smuck-face goes I go . I have no idea if this was true but events would perhaps answer that suggestion.

He certainly appears very naive especially to make allegations without having prove to back up what he says. I suppose Ian Hislop is living proof of that being sued does not mean the article was not correct? How many times did Hislop get sued by Sir Robert Maxwell?

Regards
John
 
It's amusing rubbish isn't it? There's one line that gives it all away:

"But Dennis, who had been bamboozled into agreeing the high price four years before in 2001, just before the 9/11 terrorist attacks when economic conditions had been very different, did not want to pay..."

Yeah, right. Ron Dennis can be bamboozled into a deal? TR might be able to see that happening but I can't

Business F1 Magazine is now defunct. It was the subject of a winding up order due to unpaid libel damages (Wikipedia). By the look of this feature, TR had been winding up everyone all along...

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk
 
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yes agreed about the liable with Hislop and I do think he stated what needed stating.

Tom is very much like Allen. He states what he hears. Most of which is rubbish. Tom gets sued everywhere he goes. Private eye gets sued like Newspapers do, but I do think their is a difference.

Martin Brundle will find out for us but at least he was expressing an informed opinion based on his knowlegde.

I have had the misfortune to read a lot ot Toms tripe, and with a bit of looking, you can find facts that prove he is an idiot. But he still gets away with making his usless verbiage.

the word "Chancer " springs to mind.


I still think schumi was given the choice, and took the cowards way out. He was not pushed, he was allowed a choice. If he was pushed, he would be in the McLari right now, and probably being beaten by Lewis.

In fact, right now, I want Ferrari to put Lewis in their car, and see how well Kimi does then?

Then Button could be in the Ferren and would win a few races he deserves.
 

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