During qualifying for the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix today, during the closing minutes of qualifying Michael Schumacher stalled his car on the track, ruining the final laps of his competitors. The stewards of the meeting, after reviewing all the evidence, have found Ferrari and Schumacher guilty of cheating, and have moved him to the back of the grid for the race on Sunday.
FINALLY, Ferrari and Schumacher are being held accountable for the antics they get up to. It’s been a while coming too - for the last few races Ferrari have been running rear wings on their cars that could be argued are “illegal”. Strangely the authorities have turned a blind eye to that…
Many people speculate that the reason Ferrari have traditionally been treated “more equally” than other teams is because Formula One isn’t a sport - it’s a commercial organisation, run by the rules of that commercial organisation. Ferrari are a big name, and if they are seen to be doing badly, it effects the commercial profitability of the sport as a whole.
This weekend has seen perhaps the first effect of a new “idea”, where the marshals imposing the rules at each race are consistent from race to race - hopefully meaning they cannot be nobbled by teams with lots of cash and influence.