Readers' views

It's Jerez 97 all over again! How the FIA can expect to be taken seriously
when they allow results to be fixed but frown on the podium procedure (which
is pretty pointless) is beyond me. Had the FIA been serious about the result
in Austria they would have called an extraordinary meeting of the World
Council the following week. No one should be surprised that they got such a
slight slap on the wrist so long after the infraction occurred.



I think it's fair enough since what the drivers did on the podium, didn't affect any of the other teams or drivers. It only embarassed Ferrari and FIA itself.



This sends a message F1 does not intend to do anything these days to discipline drivers for unsportsmanlike conduct. It is now truly obvious that F1 is all about ratings, sponsors and money, NOT sport. Formula One is supposed to represent the pinnacle of motorsport, now it has reached a stunning new low faster than a Schumacher lap.



I can reluctantly accept the findings of the FIA given that they can only
enforce the rules they have laid out for the teams and drivers. As they conceded - there is no rule against team orders, so there was nothing they
could do about the farcical end to the race. However, I do believe that they
should introduce, with effect immediately, a more stringent rule governing
when a team may and may not instruct drivers to let their team-mate pass.



What a let off!! It is a disgrace to the sport that ferrari should get off with what would ammount to a tenner out of the working man's back pocket. At the very least points should have been deducted and maybe it should have been a one or two race ban...for the whole team, not just one of them. Shocking.



I am shocked by the result of the FIA hearing today, I would have expected Ferrari to be charged with 'bringing the sport into disrepute' but apparently getting a capacity crowd to boo your drivers and a worldwide TV audience and the press to condemn your actions as 'unsporting' (which I believe they were) is perfectly acceptable.



What a joke quite frankly, but the decision comes as no surprise. The FIA have wasted a golden opportunity to restore some credibility to the sport.



I think this is the best result for all parts. How will it be possible to decide if any of the teams are using team orders. The teams are allowed, and have always been allowed, to use team orders. Ferrari is competing with Renault, Williams, McLaren etc. and not with Ferrari. There is no point in risking points for the team to compete each other.



It seems a proportionate punishment. The actual infringement of the rules was relatively minor, and a moderate fine seems reasonable. Everyone is getting worked up about the way in which Barrichello let Schumacher through, something that is nothing to do with F1's rules. Ferrari had every right to determine finishing order, even if they way it was done was a little unpleasant. They have been punished sufficiently by the reaction of the media and the public - both Ferrari's popularity and their merchandise sales will take a while to recover completely.



Although I was disgusted at how the team orders were implemented at the Austrian GP I understand it. However, what happened on the podium was clearly Michael Schumacher's fault. He pushed Rubens against his will up on to the top step. This was motivated by Michael's visible embarrassment at being booed. Michael is the one who broke the protocol not Ferrari. He should face the $1 million fine alone.



I think that the FIA got it right for once. A fine was a fair and just penalty for the podium fiasco. After all, Ferrari did nothing against the rules during the race. And, I think they have paid a much higher price. Upsetting their all-important fans and no doubt upsetting their all-important sponsors! Ferrari being booed on the podium, Enzo must have turned in his grave, God rest his soul!



The only surprise with the FIA judgement is that they did not take the opportunity to prolong the championship fight for this year by docking Schumacher points in one way or another.

What I would really like to know is what the FIA would made of Peter Collins' handing over the 1956 world championship to Fangio...



I'm disgusted that Ferrari have yet again been seen to 'get away with' breaking FIA regulations. It begs the question - why don't other teams do it and use the rulings for Ferrari as a precedent!! Surely it is time to make the rules apply to all the teams regardless of their bank balances. There are admittedly only a few teams that would not notice the loss of $500,000 but it would have been fairer, therefore, to apply a punishment that could be applied to all ie. team disqualification from the results of the Austrian GP.



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