F1 looks like clowns as Ferrari fined $100,000 to generate ‘free PR’

UPDATE As we predicted below, the British F1 media would end up looking like clowns (they hate Ferrari because they have a history of beating their beloved British teams) because there was zero evidence to prove Ferrari was guilty of giving team orders. We have been proven right and all the press this generated must have wasted a thousand man-hours of journalistic time that could have been put toward more productive things. Former Ferrari boss Todt, whose team order at the A1-Ring in 2002 famously triggered the imposition of the ban, admitted he suspects a similar order was in effect when Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso swapped places at Hockenheim. "I tend to agree as well," said the Frenchman when told that many people believe July's events constituted a rules breach. Before you say you are guilty, you need to be able to prove that you are guilty," said Todt in a video interview with the BBC.

He said the Maranello based team "denied" Massa had slowed down to let Alonso past as the result of a team order. But, away from the FIA's headquarters at Place de la Concorde, Ferrari would clearly like to see the team orders rule repealed.

07/25/10 (GMM) Ferrari has been fined $100,000 and now faces the wrath of the FIA's World Motor Sport Council.

A furor erupted after Sunday's German grand prix, in which Felipe Massa moved aside for winner Fernando Alonso after the Brazilian's engineer told him the Spaniard was faster.

Team management, and later the drivers, were summoned by the stewards, where Ferrari blankly denied the incident was a clear breach of the rule prohibiting result-altering team orders.

The result stands, but a report will be sent to the FIA's decision-making council, due to the alleged team orders breach and a charge of disrepute.

Ferrari denies that race engineer Rob Smedley's radio message to Massa prior to the Brazilian letting Alonso pass amounted to team orders.

"It was a driver decision," said spokesman Luca Colajanni. "We didn't give any instruction at all."

Team boss Stefano Domenicali added: "He (Smedley) gave the information that he (Massa) was slower than the other car. We give the information, it is up to the driver to manage the situation."

Massa confirmed that he had decided to let Alonso overtake.

"Yes (it was my decision). We do not have team orders. I was struggling on the hard tires, as I have many times this year."

And Alonso denied he knew about the team order.

"I thought it was a gear problem (on Massa's car). When I saw him slowing down, I was surprised," said the Spaniard.

AutoRacing1.com predicts that the fine is all to generate free media coverage for weeks from the F1 media (sheep) and Ferrari will ultimately prevail before the World Council because the facts are the facts, there was no team order. Massa (the driver) was informed Alonso was faster and it was his decision to let him through to ensure the win for Ferrari. Ferrari management never gave him an order to move aside, and although the mindless F1 media want to insinuate it happened so they have something to write about all week, in the end the facts are the facts, a team order was never spoken, so you cannot fabricate something that was not.