Steering Column

All that appears before the eye can be terribly deceptive. Witness Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix. The Ferrari team flexed it's muscle, largely through the efforts of it's rich superhero, Michael Schumacher, and walked away from Sepang with the driver's and constructor's points lead. Schumacher dominated qualifying, grabbed the lead of the race, then, just as he promised, handed the top spot over to his teammate, Eddie Irvine. Then Schumacher held Mika Hakkinen a comfortable distance away from Irvine. For Irvine, this would be as easy as it gets. Perhaps, it seemed too good to be true. Hours after the race, that proved to be the case.

Stewards for the race concluded afterwards, that Ferrari's barge boards violated FIA technical regulations, making both cars illegal, thus, disqualifying Ferrari's one-two finish. With that, both McLaren-Mercedes and Hakkinen become World Champions for the second straight year.

Of course, Ferrari has filed an appeal, desperately hoping for some sort of reprieve. There is no telling how the FIA will rule in this case. If history is any indication, appeals to the governing body are not only futile, but can carry a strong backlash. That said, however, Bernie Ecclestone cannot be happy with the way this has turned out. As it stands now, The Grand Prix in Japan is a meaningless race. The 1999 Formula One Championship, to be decided on the final Sunday of the season, is now over before it began. What a huge dud this turned out to be. It is impossible to see Ecclestone and his TV empire sitting still, while there is yet another race to broadcast. With no championship in the lurch, interest will be much lower in the last race. So, even though the Ferrari team doesn't deny the barge boards were illegal, don't dare be surprised if this decision is overturned. After all, they're only rules, right?

Much as I try, I can't garnish up any sympathy for the Ferrari team. It seems logical to believe the drivers aren't at fault. They don't design the car, they race it. But how in the deepest, darkest hole of hell, can Ferrari do this to themselves? Doesn't someone, anyone check for compliance to the rules and regulations at EVERY single race? A team with a budget exceeding 300 million dollars doesn't have a single crew member checking the small details, JUST IN CASE? Does Ferrari even bother to check the wings, the weight, or the fuel for compliance? I'm sure they will from now on, although, now, it's just a tad too late.

Ferrari team chief, Jean Todt, reasoned that the car that raced in Malaysia was the same specifications as the Ferrari that ran in the European Grand Prix. Ferrari's technical director, Ross Brawn stated, in a press conference, following the disqualifications, "There is no performance gain from such a piece and, obviously, we wouldn't produce a piece which we knew to be illegal, because they are checked by the FIA." Two questions for Ferrari, one, if the cars, as Jean Todt says, were identical to the ones that ran at the European GP, then, does that nullify the results from that race? Second, if Ferrari wouldn't produce an illegal piece, because they are checked by the FIA, then how could this be overlooked two races in a row? Sooner or later, it will be detected. This is the biggest, most incredible gaffe I have seen a team commit, since the Williams team forgot to bolt on the fourth wheel of Nigel Mansell's car in 1991, in Portugal.

Don't be fooled by McLaren team boss, Ron Dennis, when he is quoted as saying, "This is not the way to win a championship. It is bad for the sport." Inside, Dennis has to beaming. Ditto for Mika Hakkinen. Maybe, deep down, both wish they could win the championships on the track, and not from a steward's decision. But the fact remains, if the stewards decisions stands, the guys in silver and black are champions of 1999. However it happens, that is their goal and don't expect them to give anything back. We will never know, I'm sure, but it wouldn't surprise me if someone in the McLaren team knew of the Ferrari infraction before the race, then waited to see how the race would turn out. If the Ferrari were to finish the race as they did, then perhaps one of the stewards would get an "anonymous" note, concerning those pesky Italian barge boards. Who knows?

Ferrari begged, make that, demanded Michael Schumacher finish the final two races of the season, to aid in both the driver and the constructors championships. Schumacher did more than his fair share of the work this past weekend. He left a golden, gift-wrapped present at the door of the Ferrari garage, only to have the team run it over on the way out. And Eddie Irvine? Unlike Ferrari, I can find a little sympathy for the Ulsterman. Not a lot, mind you, but a little. Who knows where Irvine would have finished without Schumacher's assistance, but it would certainly would have been closer to Hakkinen than his teammate. Maybe, we all got a little over-anxious about Irvine's championship hopes with Schumacher out of the picture. I know I did. But in the last half of the F1 season, Irvine wilted. Only Hakkinen's bad luck and inconsistent driving kept Irvine in the points race. Perhaps this is Irvine's hand of fate. It's hard to imagine Irvine having a better chance of winning a F1 driving championship than he had this year. But Irvine has a deservedly, large share of the blame lying at his own feet.

If the appeal on Ferrari's behalf fails, then this certainly will go down as one of the worst team blunders in F1 history. They can blame the stewards all they want, but the fact remains, their cars were illegal. They never denied it. And as much as it pains me to side with the FIA and the stewards, I believe they made the correct decision. Why have rules if they can't be followed? It has to be painful and embarassing for the Ferrari team, but that's what happens when someone shoots themselves in the foot. Michael Schumacher must be telling his family and friends, "I came back for THIS?"

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