Racing in the courtroom

Before the start in Hungary, the teams are busy with a scandal

The story surrounding the scandal involving the theft of data from Ferrari is beginning to resemble passions from some Latin American soap opera, the end of which is not visible even to the creators of the imperishable masterpiece. When, after watching the next episode, you catch yourself thinking that the words spoken by one of the characters in the melodrama are repeated for the eleventh time, a persistent feeling of deja vu arises with obsessive hallucinations based on the plot you watched. After another explosion of emotions on the screen, it seems that the screenwriter will not be able to come up with anything more absurd, but the inexhaustible flow of the author’s inspiration refutes the viewer’s skepticism. And before us the drama unfolds again with streams of tears from the endlessly crying rich.

So the rivalry between McLaren and Ferrari, which has moved from the racetracks to the courtrooms, seems to be gaining momentum. Although the meeting of the FIA ​​World Council, held in Paris on July 26, seemed to be supposed to put an end to the protracted detective story, but instead the decision made by the most respected people in motorsport turned out to be more of an ellipsis. After which a new paragraph began. After a months-long investigation involving all the top officials from both teams, Italian and British police, Automobile Federation officials and, it is said, even several special agents hired by Bernie Ecclestone, it took the World Council six hours to reach a very strange verdict. Despite the fact that McLaren had confidential Ferrari documentation, the team did not suffer any penalties due to the fact that the use of this information cannot be proven. True, the judges who made such a wise decision still left themselves the opportunity to backtrack. “However, if in the future it becomes known that Ferrari documentation was used during the championship, then we reserve the right to call McLaren Mercedes to the next hearing of the World Motor Sports Council with subsequent exclusion not only from the 2007 championship, but also from the 2008 championship year," the FIA ​​said in a statement. And the very next day, the lawyers of the injured party began to argue that they could prove the guilt of the English stable, but the council simply ignored all the arguments presented by Ferrari. Dissatisfied Italians, supported by the national auto federation, have now appealed to the appeal court, demanding, if not the disqualification of their rivals, then at least financial compensation.

But the British, who escaped punishment, are not very happy about this. The charges against the team were not dropped and they are still under suspicion. Ron Dennis, the head of McLaren, is still trying to convince public opinion and the FIA ​​that the entire team should not be held accountable for the stupidity of one employee, who was also about to leave the team. It’s just that they will be able and willing to hear his opinion in the storm of indignation raised by Ferrari.

The mind-blowing European Grand Prix, which ended with victory for Fernando Alonso, seemed to be the first stage of this year's championship in which the reigning champion showed his full power. The Spanish driver's two previous victories in Malaysia and Monaco lacked championship polish. These were labor victories over basically equal opponents. And although at Sepang Alonso created a good gap over his closest pursuer by the end of the race, the fact is that he was being pursued by Lewis Hamilton - his own teammate, who started in Formula 1 only for the second time. Moreover, from the first meters of the distance, the Englishman focused on maintaining his position from the attacks of the Ferrari pilots, while simultaneously becoming a reliable shield for Alonso. If Lewis had had more experience, the result of that race could have been completely different. Not to mention the Grand Prix of Monaco, where Hamilton, who had been groomed in high society, was already putting all the pressure on his eminent partner, and only strange orders from the team’s pits predetermined Fernando’s victory.

But on the water-filled asphalt of the Nürburgring, the champion proved that he knows how to keep his powder dry and fire at the right moment. While most of the cars, including the season leader Hamilton, floundered helplessly in the mud on the side of the road, washed off the track by rain streams, Fernando calmly put the finishing touches on Felipe Massa's Ferrari. Eventually the Spanish matador landed the finishing blow, nearly sending the Brazilian into the gravel. How can one not recall the events of a year ago, when the rain that fell in Hungary did not prevent Alonso from winning, overtaking Michael Schumacher himself, which may have predetermined the overall victory of the Spaniard in the championship. And this time in Hungary, Fernando has an excellent chance to make a difference in the individual championship.

Dmitry SITNIK