Another Mosley Special

Another Mosley Special

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Discussion

flemke

Original Poster:

22,865 posts

238 months

Monday 14th January 2008
quotequote all
Yes, friends, just when one hopefully but naively thought that it couldn't get any worse, that there was nothing left for the bacterium to infect, we may have to brace ourselves for another outbreak:


(Source:http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns19972.html)

"A change in the F1 stewards"

"The team principals meeting on Friday (11th January, '08)
seems to have passed without undue drama and apparently no-one said anything when FIA President Max Mosley told the teams that Alan Donnelly, the FIA consultant who attends F1 races as his official representative, will be involved in the process this year.

"It is not clear exactly what Donnelly will do but there were rumours at the end of last season that Tony Scott Andrews, the F1 permanent steward, was not going to continue in 2008. It remains to be seen whether this is the case. The appointment of Scott-Andrews two years ago was a very sensible move for the FIA as it not only improved the consistency of decision-making but also ensured that the people making the decisions had some idea of what was going on on the F1 scene. Scott-Andrews quickly established that he was both independent and fairly sensible in the decisions he made. This improved the faith that F1 had in the stewards.

"The role of a steward is to be the referee of an F1 event. There are three at each race and they examine the reports submitted to them by the various officials and, then listen to the explanations of all the parties involved. They then decide on sanctions if they think they are necessary. They are, in theory at least, completely independent of the FIA, although many of the F1 stewards have long been members of the FIA World Council.

"If Donnelly takes up a role as the permanent F1 steward it is going to be very hard for him to establish any credibility as an independent. This in turn will reflect on the FIA and will not help improve the perception - whether true or not - that everything is controlled by Mosley.

"The problem is that while Donnelly is clearly an intelligent and capable individual he has been a close ally of Mosley for eight years and before that worked with the FIA President as a member of the FIA-funded Automobile Users Group at the European Parliament. Today he is paid as an FIA consultant.

"A former finance officer of the General and Municipal Boilermakers' Union, Donnelly was an European MP between 1989 and 2000 and went on to become the leader of the European Labour Party between 1998 and 2000 which made him a close associate and advisor of Prime Minister Tony Blair. In 1991 he was made a Knight Commander of the Federal Republic of Germany. He quit politics in 2000 and established his own public affairs company which is called Sovereign Strategy and is headquartered in the FIA-owned building in Trafalgar Square in London.

"According to the Sovereign Strategy website its clients include the FIA, Formula One Management Ltd and Ferrari."


You really could not make this stuff up, because no one would believe you.

SamHH

5,050 posts

217 months

Monday 14th January 2008
quotequote all
Isn't this just a rumour than Alan Donnelly is going to become a steward?

I don't understand why there is a need for the stewards to be independent from the FIA. Is the FIA not intended to be the independent governing body anyway?

flemke

Original Poster:

22,865 posts

238 months

Monday 14th January 2008
quotequote all
SamHH said:
Isn't this just a rumour than Alan Donnelly is going to become a steward?

I don't understand why there is a need for the stewards to be independent from the FIA. Is the FIA not intended to be the independent governing body anyway?
There can be differing opinions on whether the stewards should be independent of the FIA.
I trust that most all of us would agree, however, that the stewards ought to be independent of Ferrari.

The Walrus

1,857 posts

206 months

Monday 14th January 2008
quotequote all
Its is but only for Ferrari.

SamHH

5,050 posts

217 months

Monday 14th January 2008
quotequote all
flemke said:
SamHH said:
Isn't this just a rumour than Alan Donnelly is going to become a steward?

I don't understand why there is a need for the stewards to be independent from the FIA. Is the FIA not intended to be the independent governing body anyway?
There can be differing opinions on whether the stewards should be independent of the FIA.
I trust that most all of us would agree, however, that the stewards ought to be independent of Ferrari.
Yes, I agree with your latter point.

Droptheclutch

2,604 posts

226 months

Monday 14th January 2008
quotequote all
Argh, this is just typical, and it sickens me. I love F1, however the FIA/Mosley et al are pushing fans like me (and others I am sure) away in droves.

What can be done to have a fair and impartial governing body & stewards? Anything? Will it always be the 'Old Boys Club' is seems to be now?

The Walrus

1,857 posts

206 months

Monday 14th January 2008
quotequote all
As I have said in other threads add the reptile raffle at the start of each race and it will be even, anaconda's crocs a few of those smaller fella's etc somebody from the crowd could draw it so a bit of fun for all, unless you get the croc or anaconda !!

D_Mike

5,301 posts

241 months

Monday 14th January 2008
quotequote all
the stewards decisions could be made by television phone ins!

Fidgits

17,202 posts

230 months

Monday 14th January 2008
quotequote all
rofl

Jack Blag

941 posts

214 months

Monday 14th January 2008
quotequote all
I wish Jackie Stewart would put himself forward to be elected as FIA president... he would be the best man for it by far.

IforB

9,840 posts

230 months

Monday 14th January 2008
quotequote all
Bobo the clown could do a better job let alone JYS.

nioks

1,104 posts

216 months

Monday 14th January 2008
quotequote all
It seems fairly irrelevent to me whether or not the stewards are independent, as the the overseeing authority may, or may not, have it's own agenda. I think this was clearly demonstrated with fuel temperature issue in Brazil. Although the temperatures in the Williams and BMW were outside the permisable range, they were still deemed 'ok' by the independent stewards. A point backed up by the FIA on a technical issue.

Stuismyname

1,706 posts

238 months

Monday 14th January 2008
quotequote all
nioks said:
It seems fairly irrelevent to me whether or not the stewards are independent, as the the overseeing authority may, or may not, have it's own agenda. I think this was clearly demonstrated with fuel temperature issue in Brazil. Although the temperatures in the Williams and BMW were outside the permisable range, they were still deemed 'ok' by the independent stewards. A point backed up by the FIA on a technical issue.
Was it not that the temperatures were held to be outside the permissible range and therefore that those two teams had contravened the rules...followed by a hasty retreat from that position, backed up by the FIA?

skeggysteve

5,724 posts

218 months

Monday 14th January 2008
quotequote all
Flemke,

Thanks for point this out, I don't read Joe's site everyday.

I was very please by the appointment of TSA, as an independent steward.

But this appointment, if it goes ahead, is just plain wrong.

Having said that, I like you I guess, will still watch every GP this year!

What do we, the fans, have to do to get rid of the 'bad apples' in the FIA etc.
Or to put it another way how do we make the FIA/FOM listen to us?
.......
No, I don't have an answer either.

Steve

PS As I type this 'only' 61 days to go before the next GP.

waynepixel

3,972 posts

225 months

Tuesday 15th January 2008
quotequote all
"According to the Sovereign Strategy website its clients include the FIA, Formula One Management Ltd and Ferrari."

That a surprise.

frankhovis

415 posts

205 months

Wednesday 16th January 2008
quotequote all
I've always considered the most fundamental part of the stewards role to be complete impartiality. The fact that Mosley has even considered Alan Donnelly for a role within the stewards process is unbelievable and says it all about Mosley and the way he is running (or should that be ruining) the sport. The bloke is an idiot.

I've always loved F1, but this is just another sorry story that's turning the sport into a jokefrown

Airbag

3,466 posts

197 months

Wednesday 16th January 2008
quotequote all
waynepixel said:
"According to the Sovereign Strategy website its clients include the FIA, Formula One Management Ltd and Ferrari."

That a surprise.
I'm shocked and appalled.