Gary Hartstein interview

[skeggysteve]

Very interesting interview with the former F1 medic.

[andygo]

I refuse to believe the FIA would act like that to an experienced Medic at such a level.

I bet that cheered Todt & co. up no end.

Edited by andygo on Tuesday 14th May 12:33

[TheArchitect]

Interesting and if true is pretty appalling. For some reason I believe him though.

[tyrrell]

Very interesting usual double dealing French FIA way of doing things as they always have, many thanks for posting.

[Crafty_]

For some years every F1 seat has some attachments on it, so in the event of injury the driver can be removed from the car whilst still strapped in to his seat, the idea is not to cause injury (especially spinal) by draging the driver from the car.

Yesterday Hartstein claimed that for some reason the Ferrari seats are not removable in this manner and haven't been for some time, there is some issue and nothing is being done about it. He says this is incompetence of the medical team they are now using.

He lets rip on twitter every so often, he's a pretty angry man - with due cause ?

Todt seems to be laying very low lately, sacking Hartstein and now a tyre furore is obviously no cause for comment I guess.

[skeggysteve]

tyrrell said:

........ many thanks for posting.

I posted it so more people could pass comment.
I know there are many people on here that can have a reasoned debate about stuff - that's why I made the thread title or my comments a bit vague. Hope that makes sense!
Glad you enjoyed it.

[skeggysteve]

Very good post Crafty.

I'm sure that the removable seat thing being a requirement for ages - but I not heard anything about the Ferrari seat not complying. Do you have a source you could post?

I don't do Twitter, I do have an account, maybe I should use it!

I would not agree that he seems an angry man.
The impression I got was that he was annoyed the effort Sid and (in, sort of, his own word to a smaller degree) he put in to improve safety being passed over by the FIA.

I think he is speaking out because he is concerned about the way the FIA doing things.

Like you I'm a bit surprised by Todt's laying low.

[Speedy11]

skeggysteve said:

Very good post Crafty.

I'm sure that the removable seat thing being a requirement for ages - but I not heard anything about the Ferrari seat not complying. Do you have a source you could post?

I don't do Twitter, I do have an account, maybe I should use it!

I would not agree that he seems an angry man.
The impression I got was that he was annoyed the effort Sid and (in, sort of, his own word to a smaller degree) he put in to improve safety being passed over by the FIA.

I think he is speaking out because he is concerned about the way the FIA doing things.

Like you I'm a bit surprised by Todt's laying low.

Gary Hartstein @former_f1doc said:

A Sid Watkins inspired advance, may I add. Anyway, to show how lax the supervision of this critical component of thw safety package is...
...was informed on Thursday of the GP of India that mods during the season rendered both Ferrari seats impossible to remove from the chassis
This situation was not corrected by Brazil. No idea (obviously) if he's on top of the situation by now.
Sorry Fernando and Felipe, but this wasn't on the list of what I was allowed to do!

He has also said

Gary Hartstein @former_f1doc said:

Forgot to mention that I came inches from being fired when todt found out I had taken care of @AussieGrit in Japan 2010.
Todt furious that I didn't speak to his medical delegate. But 1) this was as a doctor not as FIA doc, therefore subject to confidentiality
And 2) had no safety or regulatory implications. Between mark, the patient, and me, the doctor. But jt didn't see it that way.
French medical delegate is so far out of the loop that they are desperate for him to be in it. By coercion if necessary
But I learned, and they need to learn, that in F1 you don't gain respect from titles. Rather from what you know and do, and who you are.

In my eyes it is no coincidence that shortly after Sid Watkins had died they replaced him.

[Rude-boy]

Speedy11 said:

In my eyes it is no coincidence that shortly after Sid Watkins had died they replaced him.

TBH the only surprising thing about the destruction of the 'power' of the F1 medical team since the departure and then death of Prof. Sid is that Bernie has allowed it to happen.

Todt is being very quite at the minute as it appears to me that there are many chess pieces being moved about the board right now. Look at the disgraceful way in which Berger has dealt with F3 and looks to be trying with F4. IMO the strength of the FIA is being built up very quietly behind closed doors and in a few years time it will become clear that they will have achieved a check mate situation, whilst the rest of the bodies, etc outside the FIA have been bickering between themselves.

Make no mistake this is not a French, an Austrian or even a Bernie issue. This is the FIA planning on rebuilding a powerbase laughed at by the Americans and the ACO and many others for the last few years and when the curtain is lifted you'll not be able to run a tap in motorsport without FIA approval and payment of a small [sic] fee.