[Bibendum]

Some good points made here. For my part, Todt's remarks seem just so...ill-judged, almost deliberately provocative. I think this over-reaction either suggests a little more defensiveness than he admits to, or reveals -- as Valve says -- an astonishing disconnect from reality. His remarks about Rubens seem pointedly rude -- "see, I can poke him and he just smiles! See! See! I did it again! Why're you slapping yourself? Huh?" -- and very tacky indeed. His disdain for the real concerns of even his team's own fans -- "they were overwrought and emotional and just needed a good nap" -- is similarly grotesque, I think.

I, too, anticipate any podium appearance by MS with some relish, though I doubt anything very exciting will happen. I think MS's event horizon is fairly foreshortened, especially looking backware, so I doubt he'll even look at all uncomfortable. I'd *like* to think that this faux pas will weigh like a nightmare on his future successes, but really I doubt he's got it in him to second-guess himself in any really critical way, so he'll just sail on, accepting everything as his due.

I'd love to be a fly on the wall when Todt et al. meet the FIA; what sort of conciliatory spin can Ferrari produce, and how can the FIA do public damage control while swallowing the spin hook, line and sinker? Hmmmm....