Spirited discussions taking place on our forum and Facebook page made me realize that some racing fans, especially Formula One fans, lack a bit of perspective.
I sincerely believe that you can admire a racing team without attacking the others, let alone muddying their reputation.
Some people are currently accusing a certain gray-colored British team to employ cheaters. In reality, things aren’t that simple. Gray areas do exist.
F1 engineers are paid millions to find loopholes in the rules and regulations. Anything that’s not perfectly detailed and explained becomes subject to interpretation.
Take for example the controversial double diffusers at the start of last season. Only Brawn, Williams and Toyota had read the rule thoroughly enough to catch the loophole.
Teams have always interpreted the rules to their advantage. Sometimes, they get caught; other times, they don’t. Few people are allowed on site during the car inspections, which is exactly when the greatest discoveries are made.
However, only 10 percent of these controversies will find their way to the fan base through the media, while the rest merely fuels conversations inside the tight circle of engineers, technicians and journalists. They are stories that will never become public for a lack of concrete, tangible evidence. Just imagine all the secret stuff we never get a chance to hear about!
A prestigious Italian team got caught in flagrante delicto on a couple of occasions. There were cases of excessive engine displacement (which led to pole position at Monza), non-sanctioned or easily-deformable aero components, oversized fuel tanks and so on. That team always managed to save face by playing the blackmailing card ("If we’re found guilty, we’ll leave F1!").
And what about those juicy stories that stained the reputation of Benetton back when Michael Schumacher was driving for them? Remember the "hidden" traction control, the excessively-thin floor or the missing fuel filler filter that resulted in quicker pit stops? You can bet there were many more similar tricks going on; we just never heard about them.
Of course, we could talk about the dual tanks at BAR-Honda in 2005. Or Ligier’s empty extinguisher. Or Tyrrell’s water tank that was filled at the end of the race to meet the minimum required weight. Or the Arrows FA/1 that was a carbon copy of the Shadow DN9. Or the oversized brake air ducts at Williams and Toyota in 2004. Ok, enough!
The history of Formula One and auto racing in general is full of these fancy interpretations of the rules. So, if you ask me, it’s a mistake to point a finger at a specific team only and call them cheaters.
Even your own favourite racing team can be caught red-handed. It’s frustrating, I know, but it happens! Believe me, there are lots of gray areas…
I sincerely believe that you can admire a racing team without attacking the others, let alone muddying their reputation.
Some people are currently accusing a certain gray-colored British team to employ cheaters. In reality, things aren’t that simple. Gray areas do exist.
F1 engineers are paid millions to find loopholes in the rules and regulations. Anything that’s not perfectly detailed and explained becomes subject to interpretation.
Take for example the controversial double diffusers at the start of last season. Only Brawn, Williams and Toyota had read the rule thoroughly enough to catch the loophole.
Teams have always interpreted the rules to their advantage. Sometimes, they get caught; other times, they don’t. Few people are allowed on site during the car inspections, which is exactly when the greatest discoveries are made.
However, only 10 percent of these controversies will find their way to the fan base through the media, while the rest merely fuels conversations inside the tight circle of engineers, technicians and journalists. They are stories that will never become public for a lack of concrete, tangible evidence. Just imagine all the secret stuff we never get a chance to hear about!
A prestigious Italian team got caught in flagrante delicto on a couple of occasions. There were cases of excessive engine displacement (which led to pole position at Monza), non-sanctioned or easily-deformable aero components, oversized fuel tanks and so on. That team always managed to save face by playing the blackmailing card ("If we’re found guilty, we’ll leave F1!").
And what about those juicy stories that stained the reputation of Benetton back when Michael Schumacher was driving for them? Remember the "hidden" traction control, the excessively-thin floor or the missing fuel filler filter that resulted in quicker pit stops? You can bet there were many more similar tricks going on; we just never heard about them.
Of course, we could talk about the dual tanks at BAR-Honda in 2005. Or Ligier’s empty extinguisher. Or Tyrrell’s water tank that was filled at the end of the race to meet the minimum required weight. Or the Arrows FA/1 that was a carbon copy of the Shadow DN9. Or the oversized brake air ducts at Williams and Toyota in 2004. Ok, enough!
The history of Formula One and auto racing in general is full of these fancy interpretations of the rules. So, if you ask me, it’s a mistake to point a finger at a specific team only and call them cheaters.
Even your own favourite racing team can be caught red-handed. It’s frustrating, I know, but it happens! Believe me, there are lots of gray areas…