Episode 28 – 2008 Already?
- Length: 20:47
- Size: 19.4 MB
- File: episode28.mp3
- Enhanced: episode28.m4a
- Transcript: episode28.pdf
- Torrent: episode28.torrent
In a week dominated by McLaren’s success at the espionage hearing, we talk about… well, that, plus other things, including:
- Team’s testing troubles
- Scott Speed’s sorrow
- Ferrari’s FIA fury
Linkage includes:
July 30th, 2007 at 00:04 #1 - me said:
it’s just this second occurred to me, that on this show we promised to look through some of the cool pictures listeners have been sending in.
AND WE FORGOT!
if there was a superlicense for podcasting, i’m pretty certain we’d have ours revoked after this weeks show.
apologies to all.
July 30th, 2007 at 00:39 #2 - Clive said:
Actually, I’m neither Scott nor his brother (if he has one)!
My interest in Speed began purely because I’m an Englishman living in the States and felt it was only right to repay the hospitality the Americans have shown me by having a look at the lone Statesider in F1. As I studied his races last year, I saw a pattern begin to emerge – at first it was clear that Liuzzi was quicker and less prone to accidents but then, as the season progressed, Scott began to overtake his team mate in all departments. They finished the year on equal stats, same number of DNFs, finishes, etc. but almost all of Speed’s DNFs were in the first half of the year, all his finishes in the second, whereas the reverse applied to Tonio.
That told me that Speed learns, and he does it quicker than Liuzzi (who was good enough for RBR to try to get from STR at one point, only to have Berger fight to keep him). This looked very promising to me, so I followed Speed’s progress carefully this year. And I found that, subject to the reliability of the car, Speed outraces Liuzzi every time, doesn’t fall off the track unless someone shoves him, and is getting as much out of the car as the RBR drivers have been getting out of theirs. Given the complete lack of support from his bosses, Tost and Berger, as demonstrated in their public statements, that ain’t a bad performance at all.
So yes, it bugs me when I hear Speed dismissed as “not quite good enough” for F1 and I shout about his achievements when the opportunity presents itself. It no longer matters to me that he happens to be American – I support him now because he’s a whole lot better driver than anyone gives him credit for and he deserves to remain in F1.
Tost has now confirmed that Speed will be in the car for the Turkish GP, by the way. Wanna bet that he sees out his contract this year?
He’s a great guy, that Dietrich Mateschitz…
July 30th, 2007 at 08:07 #3 - me said:
i’d really rather not, because if the guy does stay, it’ll be partly because dietrich wants to save face regarding his ‘driver search program’.
i would speculate that if that does happen, then either tost or berger (or both) could end up leaving the team, and that would be a bigger loss than losing either drivers.
July 30th, 2007 at 16:15 #4 - Scott said:
Nice coverage of the espionage scandal. Thought the points about interception of radio traffic, Luigi Macaluso and lack of a charge for bringing the sport into disrepute were well made. The world of Mental Max is indeed a strange one. Or at least a place with a nice tint of red.
Oh, and if you want to know what will happen if Bourdais is handled a little too robustly, have a look at this:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=eiVx-p-IKZo
July 31st, 2007 at 13:48 #5 - Clive said:
You should have taken that bet.
July 31st, 2007 at 13:58 #6 - me said:
yeah, but it’s a fickle world. there was never any question that someone was going, it could’ve gone either way though.
July 31st, 2007 at 17:27 #7 - Scott Dryden said:
Far from threatening Ferrari with further sanction for bringing the sport into disrepute, Mental Max has leapt into action at the command of – (cough, cough) unofficial Ferrari spokesperson – Macaluso. Mosley is now appealing the FIA’s decision!
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/310...
July 31st, 2007 at 18:43 #8 - me said:
i hope that if Macaluso is proved to be wrong then the FIA oust him from their council.
it makes me wonder what other council ‘decisions’ the guy helped sway ferrari’s way in the past??
July 31st, 2007 at 20:13 #9 - Scott Dryden said:
The more I think about this, the more I believe the way in which the judgement was reached exposes the FIA as some sort of old boys club, as opposed to a modern, responsible, international sport’s governing body.
Macaluso should have played no part in the judgement being reached. The FIA’s practices are like something out of the dark ages, and not even close to being in-line with other sports. Take football, as an example. Although members of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee are appointed for a period of eight years, they are not allowed to sit if they have personal or financial connections to any of the parties involved. In fact, under FIFA’s much tighter rules, Macaluso would have played no part merely due to being of the same nationality as Ferrari
July 31st, 2007 at 21:02 #10 - me said:
scott you’ve hit the nail on the head there.
i will just add. how is this NOT a case of ferrari bring the sport into disrepute? how is questioning the governing body over and over again, not BAD for the sport?
ferrari are such poor f***ing losers (pardon the language, but they make me angry) that it actually hurts.
July 31st, 2007 at 21:21 #11 - Clive said:
Read Mosley’s letter to Macaluso. You’ll find that he lists the accusations made in Macaluso’s letter and then points out that the WMSC had no proof of any of the allegations made. In the circumstances, the court could not have decided other than in the way they did.
Effectively, Max is calling Ferrari’s bluff, saying, “Okay, we’ve heard your opinion, now let’s go to court and see your proof.” It may well be that, if it turns out that Ferrari’s allegations are based on nothing more than supposition, Max will then move on the matter of their bringing the sport into disrepute.
July 31st, 2007 at 21:36 #12 - me said:
i really do hope so, on both counts.
i’ve said before that i love how much inside F1 information leaks out during cases like this. i imagine that as much as i like it, max and bernie dislike it.
hell of a season, eh?
August 1st, 2007 at 00:12 #13 - Clive said:
Hell of a season indeed – rookies making the old guard look silly, races coming and going like yoyos and espionage drama to top it all off.
Hmmm, you don’t suppose Bernie planned all this as a publicity stunt, do you…?
August 1st, 2007 at 00:32 #14 - me said:
i wouldn’t put it past him!