Ferrari Internationale Automobile

The FIA, the international governing body over Formula One racing (their Website) rejected McLaren's appeal to Hamilton's win in the recent Belgian Grand Prix. This really isn't news because the FIA is a group of Ferrari fans who will always vote for Ferrari and against any other car company in F-1 competing with Ferrari.

I have watched Formula One racing since the early 1960's when we lived in Europe and went to some of the races, and then watched over the years on television. I like that I can see most of the races live, albeit getting up at 4:30 am isn't fun, but worthwhile. And I say most because ABC and CBS seems to think tape delay still works in major sports. Not. For the races they televised this year, everyone already knew the results posted on the FIA Website.

Over the last ten-plus years, especially when Michael Schumacher became world champion years in a row, the FIA has favored Ferrari, often ignoring violations made by the team when engineering and building their cars and made by the drivers and team during the race. But then would routinely penalize other teams for the same violations.

This was evident last year when a McLaren engineer had a Ferrari technical manual in his home, and although he never shared it with the team that was proven, the FIA took away all of their team and drivers points and issued a $100 Million fine. But when Ferrari hired a McLaren engineer during the season in violation of the engineer's contract, the FIA did nothing. Who did the most damage, a book or a person?

And this latest decision against McLaren which cost the team and driver points is another example of the FIA own self-interpretation of their own rules. I watched the race and it wasn't a violation, which the track stewards said it wasn't. But the FIA said it was, and then rejected the appeal.

So the Federationi Internationale de l'Automobile governs Formula One so Ferrari will always win. And they wonder why many fans hate them since we're not Ferrari fans. And why we hate Formula One for not really being a sporting race anymore when the enforcement of the rules always favors Ferrari. Or maybe they think Formula One is Ferrari One (always)?

Update.-- I watched the China GP yesterday and again saw an infraction by Ferrari and nothing will be done. In the last half of the race Kimi Räikkönen was running second and Felipe Massa third. Neither could gain on Hamilton and Massa wasn't gaining on Räikkönen, until that is, with 8 laps to go Räikkönen appeared to slow slightly and Massa passed him on the long straight into the hairpin into the front/pit straight.

They finished in that order, Massa second and Räikkönen third, handing Massa two additional points in the championship. And in the post-race interview Räikkönen admitted he violated the regulation, which states, "Team order which change the final outcome of the race (meaning individual or team points) are prohibited."

He said it was team orders and said he did it on team orders, but we know Ferrari and Massa will not be penalized as they haven't in similar situations over the years. Ferrari always gets away with it and the other teams don't. It's that simple, Even Dave DeSpain on his TV show said as much to Steve Matchett.

The FIA is a joke as a objective board and the last three races with the penalities have shown their incompetence and bias, to the point everyone is saying so. The FIA knows Ferrari winning is where the money is and they'll do anything to keep it. that way. They showed it last year stripping MacLaren of the constructor's championship and they're doing it this year the same way in bits and pieces, penalizing other teams and drivers to advance Ferrari drivers.

It's why Bernie Eccelstone and Max Mosely should sell their ownership stake in Formula One and get out of F1, and the FIA do what it's supposed to do for the betterment of the sport. They're pissing off a lot of fans and now other teams and owners.