[Tech Issue] Briatores Outburst at FIA's Paris Decision

[Racer 35]

Originally Posted by davyboy

He's a very smart man who despite his lack of finesse is very business savvy and politically astute.

Maybe he's a smart businessman, but he also comes acroos as an utter buffoon at times. This particular tirade is so far from reality that it's beyond laughable, and getting close to worrying. If he's right about the 'diffuser' teams, then he should pray that the ed Bull never gets a 'trick' one as it seems plenty fast enough without. Mind you, the addition of a new diffuser to the Mclaren doesn't seem to have stuck it on the front row of the grid, with Hamilton back in 9th, and Heikki still not making Q3.

Flav seems to me to be like the elderley relative at a party that used to be quite something but has lost their marbles, but everyone seems to tolerate him because he's family.

And does he honestly think that Piquet jr is future world champion material? Well, maybe, but not in F1, that's for sure.

[JamesH]

Trying to take away Brawns money and spread it around a bit to the teams who didn't have the diffuser? Stop them benefiting from transport cost help? Hmm. Sour grapes.

How on earth is he going to stop RedBull, who are beating his team without the aid of the diffuser....ask for any teams with a high caffeine content to have a rev limit of 550?

Of course, given he wants to spread the TV money around, and by his own rules RedBull would get a load...that's a bit amusing.

[ChrisPage]

Autosport story

He really is starting to sound like a fool now. I hope the other teams keep him in line and this doesn't see FOTA fall apart.

[foreversideways]

I think he let his Latin temperament get the better of him, but hey it adds a bit of spice to it. No point complaining about the corporate culture in F1 and then complaining when someone speaks his mind.

[Racer 35]

Not sure if he's speaking his mind, or out of his mind to be honest.
I do agree that getting away from bland corporate-speak is good though.

[ascarracinguk]

i honestly think the guy has lost it!....think he needs to spend more time getin his cars quicker and less time sitching about everyone else

[foreversideways]

He clearly is spending time making the cars quicker as well as boiling over, if Alonso's pace is anything to go by. As i said, lets have more boiling over, it adds spice. You can just imagine how boring Ron would have been in a similar situation.

[Knowlesy]

Found this on another forum, think it was translated from Gazetta. The last comment is very funny!

Translated Q&A with Briatore:

Q: The verdict is there: Ross Brawn was right.
Briatore: ''What was he right about ? The diffuser issue ? Imagine if someone would leave the earth for a year and comes back to find out that Reggina, Lecce, Bologna and Torino are at the top of the Serie A table while Milan, Juventus and Inter are fighting against relegation. In this same way a Formula 1 fan finds out that the championship can be won by someone that was (already) retired (Barrichello - AFCA), one that is as slow as a milepost (Button), Rosberg, Click, or perhaps Clock (Glock - AFCA), Naca...Naca...what's he called ? I don't even know...

Q: ...Nakajima. But your ungenerous towards Button.
Briatore: ''He's a good guy for heaven's sake. He's not someone that causes trouble, he's not 'dirty'.''

Q: Are you still prepared to help Brawn GP financially ?
Briatore: ''I'm not. Actually, at the next FOTA meeting I will propose that each team will keep the money that it intended to give Brawn GP. The FIA has proven Brawn GP right and we, for once will say the FIA is right: Brawn GP is a new team. It will have to do the same as us when we entered (F1). Brawn is richer than I am, than all of us.''

Q: Do you mean that Brawn GP has more money than the big teams ?
Briatore: ''He bought the team for € 1 and on top of that he has received € 130 million from Honda as if it were a newlywed getting money from her parents. € 100 million in cash, € 30 was the famous bonus we (the teams) were willing to pass on to them. Fortunately we haven't yet done so ! I will propose to keep that money: I have to spend a lot of it in order for Renault not to remain one second adrift of Brawn GP. The difference now is that I know where to get the money from !''

Q: Apart from coming up with a double-decker diffuser, what has Brawn done that makes you so angry ?
Briatore: ''He hasn't been transparent as the technical head of the FOTA, he knew (about the diffusers) but didn't say it. Ah, I will propose others to have that role, I no longer feel represented by him. In fact, it's better to put the first Chinese bloke that comes round the corner in that position. Also, Brawn has behaved in a very bad way, attacking everyone one-on-one in front of the Court of Appeal, and in a rude way towards Byrne. Without Byrne, Brawn('s career) wouldn't even exist, I know this very well because both of them worked at Benetton. Byrne is a loyal and honest person, Brawn shamelessly attacked him, and he's done the same thing towards the others. So, he's a genius and all the others are idiots ?''

Q: So could this ruin the unity with the FOTA ?
Briatore: ''Why ? The FOTA approve (on matters) with a majority of 70% of the votes, thank god we don't always have to agree all ten of us. There are some bandits in the sport, it's no longer possible to be monolithic on every issue.''

Q: Parr has accused Ferrari and McLaren of having won titles with illegal cars.
Briatore: ''And for these words someone, the FIA itself, could charge him. Parr is an idiot.''

Q: He's got a role within the FOTA.
Briatore: ''Yes, it's being a pain in the arse.''

Q: Getting back to the verdict: was it really a technical one, or was it political ?
Briatore: ''One of the judges (De Marco from Malta) has fallen to sleep, or he's simply no good, or he knew on forehand what the outcome was going to be. The others were ready to fly out at the airport: after an eight-hour hearing they came up with the verdict in one hour. I don't want to think that there has been the intention to manipulate the result of the championship. If it were like that then that would be very grave, but I repeat: I don't even want to think about it.''

Q: Is the FIA to blame ?
Briatore: ''Very much so, because this entire row should have been dealt with earlier. There are technical people which homework it is to prevent problems.''

Q: Would it be necessary to put someone alongside Charlie Whiting ?
Briatore: ''The FOTA has put forward Brawn as his technical counterpart: look at what a great technical package he came up with.''

Q: Do you step out of this chaos with at least one certainty ?
Briatore: ''Yes, if you fall down a manhole then it's not a 'hole' but an 'opening'.''

[Ralf's Girl]

Q: Parr has accused Ferrari and McLaren of having won titles with illegal cars.
Briatore: ''And for these words someone, the FIA itself, could charge him. Parr is an idiot.''

Q: He's got a role within the FOTA.
Briatore: ''Yes, it's being a pain in the arse.''

I quite like Flav acting like a nutter...

[Racer 35]

I can only assume he's being acting so madly in order to get a job as a steward

[davyboy]

He may not be as crazy as his demeanour makes him out to be. If there's a legal technicality [c.f. renaming versus instituting a new team] that means Brawn are not due those monies... then rest assured that Flavio won't be the only team principal clawing for it. Flav may be mouthing it off... but the others may well have the same intentions.

[Mr V]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

How boring F1 could be without characters like Flavio Briatore...

Indeed.

Interesting that Flavio is flapping about over the diffuser issue, yet, Pat Symond's, Flavio's own engineer and a man who know a million times more, technically than Flav, at, or about the time of Australia, labelled the diffusers as "clever" and (in his opinion) legal.

[ascarracinguk]

haha love brawns quote...when asked what he thought of flavs *****ing....he jus says ''i think change the medication..'' classic

[GolddustMini]

so according to the autosport article flav is causing a flap about the fact that he doesnt have enough money to design and build a 'double decker' defuser, and wants some money to pay for it (by calling for brawnGPs share of tv monies). from this i can only ascertain that he bought the defuser fitted to alonsos car from brighthouse and needs the money to pay the horrendously high interest...!

[Mr V]

Originally Posted by GolddustMini

from this i can only ascertain that he bought the defuser fitted to alonsos car from brighthouse and needs the money to pay the horrendously high interest...!

And maybe he should have had it sent over on Ryanair and not his private jet.

[Splatz the Cow]

Thanks Knowlesy

Q: Apart from coming up with a double-decker diffuser, what has Brawn done that makes you so angry ?
Briatore: ''He hasn't been transparent as the technical head of the FOTA, he knew (about the diffusers) but didn't say it. Ah, I will propose others to have that role, I no longer feel represented by him. In fact, it's better to put the first Chinese bloke that comes round the corner in that position.

Briatore is saying Brawn doesn't represent him, and it would be better to have the first person that walks around the corner.

But then he goes on to specify Chinese as if it makes it even more absurd, or somehow worse.

I know it's kind of common for old fasioned Italians and some other Europeans to look down on Asians, but this kind of racism is really disappointing to hear from him.



To Ferrari, McLaren, and BMW's credit they have been relatively restrained in their comments, and after following the offical procedure, are getting on with it.

[Bononi]

The only reason why Briatore is so mad is because Brawn pulled his own trick on him. Nothing can get a guy crazier than someone pulling his own trick on him. Brawn was one of the them - the big ones - and Honda hired him to make them one of the top ones. He just did what they do, and that's the outcome. The analogy that Briatore did with the football just makes it clear, the top ones are the inner circle and they always must have the control... a guy left with their tricks and voila ! This is not about David and Goliah's tale, actually is about CIA and Saddam Hussein's tale !

[Burnsie]

Flavio has every right to be angry. After all, QPR have only won two of their last twelve matches

Seriously though, no matter what anybody thinks of this outburst, there can be no denying that Flavio is one of the few remaining characters in F1. Long may his absurd ramblings continue.

[ascarracinguk]

problem is theres characters...and then theres jus plain idiots LOL

[Marbot]

Originally Posted by Burnsie

Flavio has every right to be angry. After all, QPR have only won two of their last twelve matches

He's got that sorted! Alonso will be playing up-front for their remaining matches.

[foreversideways]

Another interesting thought on this one is that the explosion of emotion or anger that Flav has is actually better for your health than the constipated way people are encouraged to deal with frustration these days. Once he has got it off his chest it is gone and not bottled up inside.

[fourWheelDrift]

Originally Posted by foreversideways

Another interesting thought on this one is that the explosion of emotion or anger that Flav has is actually better for your health than the constipated way people are encouraged to deal with frustration these days. Once he has got it off his chest it is gone and not bottled up inside.

This is the very argument a certain person very close to me uses. As I have often pointed out to her it might be better for her health but it's crap for everybody else's

[Born Racer]

It was noteworthy in the BBC interview Lee McKenzie did with him that he said he didn't want two stars in the team; he's not exactly very encouraging to Piquet is he? Still, I can't fault his honesty there.

[Born Racer]

No point complaining about the corporate culture in F1 and then complaining when someone speaks his mind.

I take your point, but I will speak my mind and say he's talking a load of cobblers (he might have a point about the money entitlement though re: new teams, but that's not what this thread is about).

Not sure if he's speaking his mind, or out of his mind to be honest.

Quite.

[foreversideways]

It may be cobblers, in fact most of us think it probably is but at least we know about it. Now if that had been James Hunt back in the day he would have just hit somebody