Is the FIA biased in favour of the red cars?

[Airbag]

Simple enough question.

[stephen300o]

How paranoid is PH?

[zac510]

I have assessed all the evidence presented in this thread and made a decision

[Scuffers]

stephen300o said:

How paranoid is PH?

well, if you consider that most of the FIA tech dept is either Ferarri people or ex-Ferarri, they pay the rent on the FIA's offices, Mad Max has stated that he preffers the reds, then I think it's quite reasonable?

don't you?

[MonkeyHanger]

Airbag said:

Simple enough question.

I think i need to sleep on this one to be honest

[waynepixel]

82% hahahaha, say it all really?

[Jack Blag]

Which 2 said no?

[stephen300o]

Scuffers said:

stephen300o said:

How paranoid is PH?

well, if you consider that most of the FIA tech dept is either Ferarri people or ex-Ferarri, they pay the rent on the FIA's offices, Mad Max has stated that he preffers the reds, then I think it's quite reasonable?

don't you?

[Airbag]

Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get me, you know.

[Derek Smith]

To be followed by:

Is red the reddest colour?

and

is the Duke of Edinburgh a waste of space.

[FNG]

stephen300o said:

Scuffers said:

stephen300o said:

How paranoid is PH?

well, if you consider that most of the FIA tech dept is either Ferarri people or ex-Ferarri, they pay the rent on the FIA's offices, Mad Max has stated that he preffers the reds, then I think it's quite reasonable?

don't you?

Don't understand the rofl. Could you be a bit more expansive?

Which facts above don't you agree with?

Which aspects do you think are irrelevant to any suggestion of vested interests?

[IainT]

Last season I think it was clear although that may well not be the FIA per se but Rampant Mosely driving things.

This season? Not on the surface - all in all it seems to me to be fair so far.

[flemke]

IainT said:

Last season I think it was clear although that may well not be the FIA per se but Rampant Mosely driving things.

This season? Not on the surface - all in all it seems to me to be fair so far.

Letting Raikkonen stay out in France with his exhaust pipe flapping around for 30 laps?
Any other team would have seen their car black-flagged.

[IainT]

flemke said:

IainT said:

Last season I think it was clear although that may well not be the FIA per se but Rampant Mosely driving things.

This season? Not on the surface - all in all it seems to me to be fair so far.

Letting Raikkonen stay out in France with his exhaust pipe flapping around for 30 laps?
Any other team would have seen their car black-flagged.

Hmm, I'd forgotten about that but, to show clear evidence of bias we should be able to draw an equivalent for another team where the decision to flag them was taken.

I'm a McMerc fanboy (to appropriate the 'insult' from the tifosi here) but I don't see strong bias in their favour this season. Maybe (with my paranoid hat on) the Red Team's lack of pace int eh last two races has robbed the authorities of opportunities to promote them ahead of Ron's boys!

One could argue that the lack of flagging Webber's car while it spewed it's guts before failing was consistant with not flagging the Plodding Donkey. From my view though your example is a good one of Ferarri benefiting from a bad call by the stewards.

[RobbieMeister]

I wondered why the safety car stayed out so long yesterday.

[IainT]

RobbieMeister said:

I wondered why the safety car stayed out so long yesterday.

The stewards have been critisied before for bringing the SC back in while back-markers were still catching up with the tail of the field having been allowed to unlap themselves...

It certainly seemed to potentially disadvantage LH but, as he didn't have that much fuel in reserve (conmpared to what most of us had assumed) then 'conspiracy' is a bit too paranoid even for PH!

[IainT]

Ugh, three posts where I appear to be backing the FIA/race stewards in one thread. I feel slightly sullied.

[flemke]

IainT said:

flemke said:

IainT said:

Last season I think it was clear although that may well not be the FIA per se but Rampant Mosely driving things.

This season? Not on the surface - all in all it seems to me to be fair so far.

Letting Raikkonen stay out in France with his exhaust pipe flapping around for 30 laps?
Any other team would have seen their car black-flagged.

Hmm, I'd forgotten about that but, to show clear evidence of bias we should be able to draw an equivalent for another team where the decision to flag them was taken.

Today's cars are so well put-together that it is quite rare for a piece to fail, but they are so far out on the edge of performance that, if a piece does fail, it is quite rare for the car to be able to continue racing without a pit repair. The last time that any car got the black/orange was, IINM, M. Schumacher in something like '02. We therefore lack the data to judge whether there have been other instances in which a car that was a clear danger to all the others was ever allowed to go ripping around the circuit without restraint for fully half a race.
The lack of comparative data need not, however, deflect us from making a judgment about the situation in France. The rules are very clear that any car in a mechanical condition that poses an exceptional risk to others will be instructed to report to the pitlane, and an FIA technical inspector must approve the car before it returns to the track.
This did not happen - not only did the stewards fail to call in a car when its safety was in question but, worse, they allowed a car that was manifestly unsafe to carry on. The fact that the exhaust pipe eventually flew off randomly, and could have caused the death of a driver or spectator, proved beyond doubt that the stewards had acted in breach of their obligations.

[IainT]

flemke said:

IainT said:

flemke said:

IainT said:

Last season I think it was clear although that may well not be the FIA per se but Rampant Mosely driving things.

This season? Not on the surface - all in all it seems to me to be fair so far.

Letting Raikkonen stay out in France with his exhaust pipe flapping around for 30 laps?
Any other team would have seen their car black-flagged.

Hmm, I'd forgotten about that but, to show clear evidence of bias we should be able to draw an equivalent for another team where the decision to flag them was taken.

Today's cars are so well put-together that it is quite rare for a piece to fail, but they are so far out on the edge of performance that, if a piece does fail, it is quite rare for the car to be able to continue racing without a pit repair. The last time that any car got the black/orange was, IINM, M. Schumacher in something like '02. We therefore lack the data to judge whether there have been other instances in which a car that was a clear danger to all the others was ever allowed to go ripping around the circuit without restraint for fully half a race.
The lack of comparative data need not, however, deflect us from making a judgment about the situation in France. The rules are very clear that any car in a mechanical condition that poses an exceptional risk to others will be instructed to report to the pitlane, and an FIA technical inspector must approve the car before it returns to the track.
This did not happen - not only did the stewards fail to call in a car when its safety was in question but, worse, they allowed a car that was manifestly unsafe to carry on. The fact that the exhaust pipe eventually flew off randomly, and could have caused the death of a driver or spectator, proved beyond doubt that the stewards had acted in breach of their obligations.

Agreed but it's showing incompetence by the stewards rather than bias towards the cheating italians.

It's my view that the car should have been called in to the pits or that, during the pit stop, the mechanics should have made it safe.

Ferarri clearly gained from the (lack of) decision and there's nothign to show that the stewards would not have acted differently if it had been a Toyota, BWM or evil Mercedes.

Was there any justification by the race stewards after Magny Cours regarding the lack of action?

[FNG]

Bear in mind the FIA have now appointed a permanent chief steward. So any decisions taken could reasonably be expected to be guided by FIA policy...