Barrichello: Frentzen should be banned for 10 races!

[neutral]

I have just read Rubens response to the 2nd corner incident and he is adamant that Frentzen is to blame.

"He's an idiot. He should be banned for 10-races for causing that," fumed Barrichello. "We all knew that was going to be dangerous there and he has enough experience to know better."

In my opinion this is a bit harsh on Frentzen. I dont think anyone was that far out of line. I believe these are words of dissapointment from RB. It was the home of Ferarri, he wanted to do well, and had already dropped down to fifth by the first corner. All in all a very bad day for Rubens, but I think it is bad for a driver to try make a scapegoat out of another driver when a death is involved.

[fastracer]

I also think that RB's statement was a bit harsh since it was a "racing" accident, but when someone loses their life, who can't be emotional like that?

[downforce]

My apologies to bring this up but, jus imagine if Michael was the one with the pathetic start and the heavy braking on a weird inside line....jus imagine the headlines?????

Rubens...hah!

[neutral]

If Michael would have been even close to that accident then I'm positive a lot of people would be calling for his head.

[R]

Originally posted by neutral
I think it is bad for a driver to try make a scapegoat out of another driver when a death is involved.

Agree. In my opinion this was a racing accident, and if anything is to blame it's the track layout. With such a tragic outcome, Rubens should rather shut up than blame one specific driver for causing this tragedy.

[Jay]

Look at the replays at http://www.f-1.ru/video/index_e.html

There were 2 completely different crashes that had nothing to do with each other.

I am afraid that the first one, was quite obviously 100% Frentzen's fault. He just smashed into his teammate and Trulli under braking.

The second incident, Pedro de la Rosa did a similar thing and went right over top of Johnny Herbert.

Although most would like to call the accident a 'racing incident'. The fact is that the accidents were Frentzen and De la Rosa's fault.

However, I don't think you can blame them for the marshall's death, if he was outside the barriers.

[Minardi fan]

Rubens: SHUT UP.

[Dani]

I hate it when people try to balme some1 else!!!>:
Doesn't it just annoy u?

[Bononi]

Guys it's not my way defending what the others said but here it is :
RB said that when he was getting in the pitlane, he went to talk to DC to apologize and the two had a short converstion concerning about the Jordan's. He was very upset, because a part of De la Rosa car just smashed his helmet breaking it. He just realized that for a few inches he could be hurt. At that moment the report interrupted their conversation asking what happen (a bad move)... he just turned and said what was in mind, he did not know anybody had died...
I guess the moment were very emotional, because we could heard he saying that while the TV was showing the marshals removing the cars...
So, let's easy all the words spoken at that very bads moment...

[Jay]

Minardi Fan, Dani you may not like this blaming someone else, but if you look at the replay, Rubens is right. It was almost all Frentzen's fault! I agree he should recieve a race ban or two. De la Rosa too.

There is absolutely no way that you can call that crash just a 'racing incident'. So someone fool died, that certainly does not absolve drivers of responsibility.

[Sharky]

I usually defend Rubens but this time I have to disagree with him. First of all...who does he think he is to request a 10 race ban for a driver?? Because he made a mistake?? As far as I know humans can (and will) make mistakes. Now....of course the accident had tragic consequences but...do you think that frenzen was thinking "I'm gonna slam into Rubens's back regardless of the consequeces"??? Besides....you have any idea what something like that would do to him?? I'm sure he feels miserable but getting a ban would be like saying "You are resposable for the death of this person".

You cant avoid crashes in F1 or any other type of racing and the outcome of those crashes is completely unexpected. But what safety improvements are all about is increasing the chances of a driver or anybody else surviving the crash....not preventing the crash from happening.

[EERO]

They were words spoken in the heat of the moment. Yes, the accident was Frentzen's mistake. But he is a careful driver who makes very few. To scream for his banishment is extreme. Either Frentzen missed his braking point or misjudged RB's, but had the accident taken out only those two and no one killed, i suspect we'd be shaking our heads and saying, "That was an atypical move for HHF."


Villenueve's attempt to pass DC and Ralf at the hairpin in Monza was a much more desperate and idiotic move, yet no one called for the revokation of Jacques' license.

[AL Racing]

I can understand Rubens for making such a statement. I read an intresting interview with him and he said he coudn't understand how HHF can say that he (Rubens) braked too early. Rubens was on a 2 stopper and he braked later than normal because of this. He also said that he felt la Rosa's car hitting his helmet.

With this happening to him I trully understand and share his opinion that HHF was the cause of the crash.
Barrcihello was extremely lucky not to have died from the Arrows, a few inches in any direction and he would have had surious head-injuries.

A ten race ban I don't agree with, but that's up to the FIA no me.

[Bononi]

Yesterday's news evening, RB spoke about what happened. H says that only God could explain why he decided to stay a little more seconds in the cockpit with his head down. If after the car stopped he just released his seat belt and stand up, he would problably had serious injuries when De La Rosa car's landed on him. Asked again who's to blame he said : "I don't think we should find any guilties, I know I said before about Frentzen, but it was an explosion of emotions, and we can only be grateful we are all alive..."
Just what we were saying guys !

[Bononi]

You can check part of the interview here :

http://www.globo.com/esportes/automobilismo/index.html

in "TV Globo" column.

[Nuvolari]

I don't doubt Rubinho was plenty hot after nearly having his head taken off . . . especially so early in a race he desperately wanted to run.

He also strikes me as a decent fellow, one who would still be critical, though not unreasonable when given some time to reflect.

I would also bet no one feels worse about the whole, sorry incident than Heinz Harald.

[Valve Bounce]

I do not think that a ban is in order. I think that Frentzen will suffer muc more knowing his mistake had such tragic consequences. However, he made a mistake - there was no intention to put anyone off the road. I support the "no ban" side.

[Sharky]

But what's interesting about Rubens's declarations is that he made those declarations the minute he arrived at the paddock well before anybody knew that the marshall was dead.

But I can recall other "harsh" declarations by rubens. For instance, I remember back in canada 98 (if I'm not mistaken) when he publicaly called Jarno Trulli "and idiot that made a very stupid move" at the start.

[Jay]

Originally posted by Eero:

Villenueve's attempt to pass DC and Ralf at the hairpin in Monza was a much more desperate and idiotic move, yet no one called for the revokation of Jacques' license.

A good point, but I am sure you meant Montreal not Monza.

Calling for a permenant ban on Frentzen is a little ridiculous, but a 1 race suspension would do right.

JV recieved 2 one race suspensions in 1997, when the FIA wanted Schumacher to win the title, and he just went too slowly under a safety car, and didn't slow down enough for a yellow flag.

[Sharky]

Penalizing a driver for making a racing mistake will surely finish with the very few overtakin monouvers that take place. I mean...what driver would be willing to take the risk of overbraking someone if they could be suspended from future races because of it.

In a sport with such an ammount of pressure and where the difference between loosing and winning is measured in thousands of a second a driver will sooner or later go over the edge and make a mistake. But we can't punish him for that...because that's part of what makes this sport so great. People going over the edge.

[angst]

I think we're all pretty much agreed, that it was a racing incident and nothing else. I was initially annoyed at hearing Ruben's comments as they reminded me of Lauda's comments about Patrese after Peterson's death. However if he has since retracted those comments then all's well. If we're going to be looking at fault (and not necassarily blame) then the regs would have to be looked at. The fact is that one of the few times places can be made up during a normal race is at the beginning of the race means that sometimes some of the battling for track position is quite desparate in the first few corners, as strategies succeed or fail on where a driver is on the field. Make the cars easier to RACE, and the first lap incidents could be cut down by quite a considerable amount. There used to be a saying that the race isn't won at the first corner, but this isn't so now, the race usually is won at the first corner....

[EERO]

Jay,

OOPS, thanks for the heads up and thanks for not correcting my spelling of "revocation"

-E

[botsquad]

since he started on the front row.
and hhf on the fourth.
perhaps rb should be looking in the mirror, not the rear-view one, for blame.