[Blake]

look, rules shouldn't be changed halfway through any season of any sport. it isn't fair and doesn't make sense. just because ferrari got outsmarted AGAIN shouldn't mean they can use political influence to change the rules to favor them more. unfortunately, ferrari does has too much influence in F1. sport should be fair for any team, not favoring one team. seems like the natural thing.

[KingOfJericho]

Careful Blake, I was just called dumb, cynical, and unintelligent for saying just that.

[E90SLAM]

Originally Posted by Blake

look, rules shouldn't be changed halfway through any season of any sport. it isn't fair and doesn't make sense. just because ferrari got outsmarted AGAIN shouldn't mean they can use political influence to change the rules to favor them more. unfortunately, ferrari does has too much influence in F1. sport should be fair for any team, not favoring one team. seems like the natural thing.

Don't forget other teams spent millions to copy the new technology (DDD, F-Duct, Blown Diffusor) and make it work. Then half way thru the season, FIA just print a piece of paper say its "illegal" now and throw everything away.

Again, defeat the purpose of F1 development. Should've just give everyone a GP2 car.

Even worse, change the technical legality 10 mins before Friday Practice 1? FIA is making themselves look like a fool.They might as well give teams random tires during race weekends.

[E90SLAM]

.

[gary88]

Spanish/Italian newspapers on Monday

[Echo M3]

Originally Posted by Blake

look, rules shouldn't be changed halfway through any season of any sport. it isn't fair and doesn't make sense. just because ferrari got outsmarted AGAIN shouldn't mean they can use political influence to change the rules to favor them more. unfortunately, ferrari does has too much influence in F1. sport should be fair for any team, not favoring one team. seems like the natural thing.

Ferrari tends to have too much influence, yes. I absolutely agree with you on that. In this situation, though, I'm not convinced Ferrari was really pushing as hard for rule change as people believe. Let's look at the facts:

1.) It was HRT that lodged the initial complaint against the blown diffusers, not Ferrari. Ferrari themselves have a blown diffuser system.

2.) Ferrari never stated a position throughout the entire process. This is very different from the past, when Ferrari would usually be up against the rest of the F1 paddock.

3.) Ferrari gave to Silverstone with a completely revamped exhaust and diffuser, designed to take advantage of the pre-Silverstone diffuser rules (when blown diffusers were legal). Why would they choose to take a design route following Renault, if they were trying to ban blow diffusers?

Originally Posted by KingOfJericho

Careful Blake, I was just called dumb, cynical, and unintelligent for saying just that.

No, you made an incredibly cynical and unsubstantiated statement, blatantly showing your bias against Ferrari. If you make a silly post, you will be called out for it.

[Echo M3]

[QUOTE=BrokenVert;10008184

Ferrari bithes and the rules are changed, or they simply copy the design. It's a pattern.

When was the last time that Ferrari came out with a tech that was so much better than the competitions that it was banned?[/QUOTE]

Naive statement from someone that has not been around F1 long enough.

Here's some innovations for you:

1.) First SMG transmission in Formula 1
2.) Aerodynamic brake shields that the rest of the field copied - this was eventually carried over into road cars, such as the 599 GTO.
3.) Automated 'lollipop' light in pit stops
4.) First team to run on Biofuel w/ Shell
5.) First outboard mirrors (moved to the sidepods)

These are just a couple I recall off the top of my head. Granted, they haven't been at the cutting edge over the last 2-3 seasons.

[Xaeryan]

Originally Posted by Blake

look, rules shouldn't be changed halfway through any season of any sport. it isn't fair and doesn't make sense. just because ferrari got outsmarted AGAIN shouldn't mean they can use political influence to change the rules to favor them more. unfortunately, ferrari does has too much influence in F1. sport should be fair for any team, not favoring one team. seems like the natural thing.

*sighs* Nothing to do with political influence, or rule changes - everything to do with following the rules. From Charlie Whiting:

Whiting clearly stated that the decision of the Blown Diffuser was not a political one.

“I'm aware of some stories being written, but to be frank with you, I know it's not a political decision, I don't think anybody knows that is the area Red Bull are dominant in. It's a purely technical intervention from our side, and I feel perfectly comfortable with that,” commented Whiting.

Teams threatened to protest if the rules weren't enforced. Colin Kolles of HRT was the outspoken one here, not Ferrari. They believed the current rules do NOT allow the blown diffuser and therefore it is illegal. Charlie Whiting and his group agreed. Again, there is no change to the rules, the blown diffuser has been deemed illegal by CURRENT rule standards.
While they would have preferred to wait until next season to ENFORCE the rules, they had no choice with the threat of protest looming. From James Allison:

We would have preferred to keep the status quo for the rest of the season.

Let me be clear, even if Ferrari had been involved in the protest threats, after the FIA's technical group reviewed the rules, they determined the blown-diffuser is ILLEGAL based on the CURRENT rules.

[KingOfJericho]

I don't have a bias against Ferrari, I just don't think it's right for the FIA to be biased in favor of Ferrari. If my post seemed overly cynical then I misrepresented myself but I stand by the notion that Ferrari is treated differently than the rest of the paddock. Ferrari has certainly been a leader of innovation during various periods in the history of the sport but they are clearly a bit behind in that department over the last few seasons. I just don't like the way they use their historical significance to push around the ruling bodies. Remember when they threatened to leave the sport altogether if they didn't nix the proposed budget cap? They recently did the same thing when the issue of 4cyl engines came up.

[Blake]

well i'm back in the states. i still haven't been back to my house. stayed with a friend last night. i'll post my pics and vids when i decide to go home (i don't have any hot water)

[Blake]

here's a small preview of my pics. the kid himself! i have lots of pics and vids to go through. some are good, some are blurry.

[E90SLAM]

[KANdaddy]

Originally Posted by Blake

here's a small preview of my pics. the kid himself! i have lots of pics and vids to go through. some are good, some are blurry.

Nice. What kind of lens did you use?

[Blake]

Originally Posted by KANdaddy

Nice. What kind of lens did you use?

i didn't haul my DSLR across the pond. just using my panasonic lumix dmc-zs7.

[Echo M3]

column by Webber about what happened at Silverstone. I thought it put things into perspective quite well

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/form...e/14145893.stm

[escobar929]

Originally Posted by pman10

column by Webber about what happened at Silverstone. I thought it put things into perspective quite well

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/form...e/14145893.stm

good read, thanks!

[Echo M3]

. This article is why I have so much respect for Webber. He's never afraid to share his opinion.

Originally Posted by escobar929

good read, thanks!

[Blake]

finally uploaded pics. these are all unedited.

View post on imgur.com

- album 1

View post on imgur.com

- album 2

View post on imgur.com

- last 2 pics

[UltimateBMW]

Picture with Schumacher missing his wing was funny.

[Blake]

here are some videos from my seats

[Echo M3]

Good stuff man, thanks for the videos + pics. This is one grand prix I need to attend someday.

[UltimateBMW]

Great videos. Thanks for taking the time to share.