PARIS, September 18 – Formula One ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone insisted Thursday that Formula One will survive the Renault cheating storm, the latest scandal to hit a sport already reeling from the global financial crisis."It (F1) has recovered from so many things when people have said it was finished and it will recover from this," Ecclestone told the British media.
"It was supposed to be finished when Ayrton Senna died. It was supposed to be finished when Michael Schumacher retired.
"It has been finished so many times that it’s difficult to know when it really will stop but I don’t think it will be now."
Ecclestone, the commercial rights holder in F1, said that he was even convinced that Flavio Briatore, who stepped down in disgrace as Renault F1 chief in the aftermath of the Singapore Grand Prix race-fix storm, had already been pondering his retirement from the sport.
"He (Flavio) told me recently he didn’t want to finish up like me, playing with racing cars at my age. So at least he’s been saved that embarrassment," Ecclestone added.
Briatore and Renault engineering chief Pat Symonds quit on Wednesday while the team said that they would not contest allegations made by their former driver, Nelson Piquet Jnr, that Briatore had ordered him to crash during last season’s Singapore Grand Prix.
That crash allowed team-mate, and former world champion, Fernando Alonso to go on and win the race.
Meanwhile, Briatore said Thursday that he had stepped down in order to protect his employers.
"I was just trying to save the team," Briatore told the Daily Mirror.
"It’s my duty. That’s the reason I’ve finished. People say it’s been a torrid year but it always is in F1. There’s always something going on. It’s never peaceful."
Former world champion Damon Hill said the incident showed that the sport had major problems.
"It’s not a very good episode," Hill, the 1996 world champion, told the BBC.
"There are clearly a lot of issues, and have been in the past, and it has a lot of soul-searching to do.
"It’s a huge sport, there’s a huge amount of interest, and sometimes controversies actually add to the interest. But you want it to be for the right reasons.
"I’m concerned the sport is going to suffer as a genuine challenge, which is what I always felt it should be and would like it to be, of skill and competitiveness."
Ex-Formula 1 driver Eddie Irvine feels there has been an over-reaction to the charges.
"Formula 1 has always been a war and in war all is fair," the former Jordan and Ferrari driver told the BBC.
"When I was in various teams you would do anything to win. Back in the day it was normal.
"This is probably slightly on the wrong side of the cheating thing but in days past every team did whatever they could to win – cheat, bend the rules, break the rules, sabotage opponents. This is just the FIA going on a crusade."
WAMBUI, KIAMBU COUNTY
March 3, 2013 at 11:10 am
HELP!HELP!HELP! WE ARE ABOUT TO BE ROBBED OF THE MONEY WE HAVE EARNED WORKING FOR IEBC . WE HAVE NOT SIGNED CONTRACTS UP THIS VERY MOMENT AND WE WILL BE PAID FOR 7 DAYS INSTED OF 14 DAYS. MR. HASSAN, STOP THIS INJUSTICE TO FELLOW KENYANS WHO WILL SERVE THIS COUNTRY AS CLERKS, AND PRESIDING OFFICERS. STOP CORRUPTION.IS SOMEONE LISTENING?. WAMBUI , KIAMBU COUNTY.
tiat
March 3, 2013 at 11:25 pm
Mwangi, I hope by now you have heard that the allegations by Raila and co against Kimemia and IEBC regarding rigging have been determined to be unfounded. As you said, I hope IEBC punishes those behind the allegations to deter such future practices. We are still waiting for Cord to rebut IEBC’s findings as so far they seem to have ignored it in the hope that it is forgotten.
Xogta2012
March 5, 2013 at 8:57 pm
The allegation is coming true , we are in the 6th of March and upto know we don’t have 50% provisional presidential results, some thing is in the cooking but we have independent judiciary .
WALTER
March 7, 2013 at 8:39 am
we need clarity on all the results,iebc respond on allegations of rigging as it is and confirm the actions on the culprits….WALTER JUMBA,,,
Wanjiku Njoki
March 14, 2013 at 7:35 pm
bwana mwangi unasema vinzuri wakenya hatutaki makelele tuko na Rais wanainchi wakae kimya meliimengoa naga mika tano siyo mbali Mungu akipeda raila atachukuwa akizidi na ukorofi ndipo anapoteza kura kama hakulalamika ataibiwa wainchi wagemchangua sasa waona ni mwendawazimu heshimu mwanainchi ndiya tajiri yako ukivuta mpishi nyumbani si pakamahakamani
watatue rudi utali colege ujivunze kupika kisasa
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