Media hits back after Ferrari's 'withering attack'

 Media hits back after Ferraris withering attack
Ferrari flag - Formula 1 Testing, 03.03.2009, Jerez, Spain / Copyright: Davenport / xpb

A column posted on Ferrari's official website on Tuesday caused more than a few raised eyebrows within the international media.

A response in Germany's Auto Motor und Sport was headlined 'Red card for Ferrari', after the Italian team slammed formula one's new and hopeful teams and blamed former FIA president Max Mosley for the loss of carmakers.

"I have rarely read such nonsense," wrote the magazine's columnist Michael Schmidt, slamming the attack as a "far-fetched conspiracy theory".

Schmidt's article said the withdrawal and restructuring of F1's carmakers had nothing to do with Mosley, who was accused by Ferrari of having waged a 'Holy War'.

Schmidt acknowledged that there might have been "better candidates" than the struggling USF1 and Campos, but argued that F1 needed new teams even though Lotus and Virgin "cannot be expected to be fast right away".

Britain's Daily Telegraph called Ferrari's rant a "withering attack", the French news agency AFP said the Maranello outfit had "savaged" the FIA, and even Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport said the column was "bitter".

France's Auto Hebdo said Ferrari "attacks the new kids", and London's Times newspaper said the Prancing Horse is blaming "Mosley for (the new teams') teething problems".

 

Source: GMM

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 andreas350z andreas350z
i'm not a fan of ferrari but i think they're right this time...
February 24, 2010 5:37 pm
 kooper kooper
As do I. And I'm not a Ferrari fan either...
February 24, 2010 5:43 pm
 Xanavi23 Xanavi23
Niether am i a Ferrari fan and while i respect USF1 and Lotus Efforts and all new teams efforts, also wishing them the best, Ferrari is right about the loss of the great teams.
February 24, 2010 7:37 pm
 astroturf777 astroturf777
yep - 90s saw heaps of crappy backmarker teams - and a revolving door on rear grid slot entries - expect many changes on worst 4 teams on next years. now it's cheap to be in f1, if anything goes bad, pull funding, join another new team. very cheap marketing.
February 25, 2010 12:36 am
 Xanavi23 Xanavi23
Ya but hey, those "crappy" backmarker teams were fun to watch race each other as their cars were close in terms of competitiveness.
February 25, 2010 1:10 pm
 saytamaner saytamaner
I'm a fan of Ferrari but this was a totally unnecessary attempt to scold FIA and the new teams.
February 24, 2010 5:51 pm
 radmeister radmeister
Yeah they were laughing at Brawn last season too, they seem to laugh at everyone before the first race, and then cry like babies for the entire season...I just hope Schumacher destroys them in the first race, followed by Lotus and Campos.
February 24, 2010 5:54 pm
 genie genie
Show me one article, just one, where Ferrari laughed at Brawn GP last year.
February 26, 2010 3:20 am
 McNamara68 McNamara68
honestly i don't see what they're on about. yeah toyota and honda left and bmw pulled out of sauber, so what? those teams weren't competitive anyway. lotus, renault, mercedes, and mclaren all make roadcars and the last two will definitely push ferrari for the title. throw vettel's red bull in there and you have more competition than ferrari seems to be recognizing. i hope they get their asses handed to them by the silver arrows like in the old days, that'll shut em up!
February 24, 2010 6:52 pm
 Xanavi23 Xanavi23
Competitive is somewhat subjective, they weren't competitive up front but they did make for awesome racing a little further back. While im a McLaren fan, i did like watching the other teams fight it out as they were somewhat more equal.
February 24, 2010 7:39 pm
 Kouki507 Kouki507
I think Ferrari won't loose its fans (or clients) by this kind of attacks as long as they make great cars. I will even go as far as saying that most of the fans appreciate this kind of behaviour.
February 24, 2010 8:33 pm
 ifudge ifudge
i agree with a lot of what they say but i also think it just shows a lack of professional courtesy and somewhat imprudent to be publishing it on their website. they may think what they like but by expressing it this way exudes bigotry.
February 24, 2010 8:37 pm
 EDavis EDavis
For Ferrari to bash an American F1 team is a bit like Chevrolet bashing an Italian NASCAR team...it just isn't necessary. No American, provided that they have more than 2 brain cells to rub together, ever expected USF1 to be competitive in its 1st year of competition. An all American effort, i.e., one without use of ANY of Britain's well established F1 know-how, would require [I think] a 10 year commitment to produce good results.
February 24, 2010 9:15 pm
 hdriaz hdriaz
McNamara68 i dont think you have done your home work!!!! Brawn who won the championship is a Honda car!!!! so if Honda didn't pull out they would have won the championship!!!!! Toyota well was struggling but was not a back marker. it at least used to finish up the grid. and get points. at least it was better than campos or usf1 or virgin team!!!! BMW on the other hand was doing way better than Honda and Toyota!!! it was not a back marker until the last season. so what they had a bad car. The previous year they had given ferrari and mclaren a tough time!!!! now we are looking at sauber which is quicker and this car was designed under bmw super vision. so its quicker!!!!
February 25, 2010 3:15 am
 McNamara68 McNamara68
ahh but it is you who has not done HIS homework!!!!! saying that honda would've won is extremely faulty logic my friend. yes, the drivers remained the same but the engine changed and that engine, that mercedes power, was the most reliable and fastest engine on the circuit last season. pretty sure that without that m-b power, brawn would not have won the title and force india wouldn't have gotten on the podium.
February 25, 2010 4:10 pm
 djuro djuro
ferrari can go eff themselves
February 25, 2010 3:08 pm