Fwd: The F1 Business of Racing for it all ...

[David Ziglin <davidz@domain.elided>]

This is from my friend John who is teaching " business/English" in Poland.

It has no direct Alfa content.   Thank you for accepting it.   I 
thought that many of you would find it interesting.

David


>From: Washbush@domain.elided
>Date: Wed, 15 May 2002 02:24:10 EDT
>Subject: The Business of Racing for it all ...
>To: davidz@domain.elided
>Status: U
>
>Hi David,
>
>
>Regarding Ferrari ...
>
>I think that this entire incident is too bad. I am sure that Ferrari 
>will already wishes that it didn't happen. I am sympathetic to the 
>fans and I see the emotion in what "should have been" the way to go. 
>I am absolutely sure that Rubins DID deserve to win.  He SHOULD have 
>won that race.  But, which race are we talking about here?  There 
>were two races going on and Ferrari was not overlooking either one 
>of them!  The Drivers Championship is was not the only race of the 
>day.  The Constructors Championship seems to have been forgotten by 
>everyone ... except Ferrari.
>
>I am very upset with people who want to live by the rules, who 
>create rules and then, when someone follows them to the letter and 
>its creates an advantage for themselves, want to change the rules 
>and penalize the person who followed them.  It seems to me that many 
>people want lots of rules because "behavior by rules" is easier to 
>control than "behavior by judgment".  I believe that what Ferrari 
>did was not outside the rules.  They just took the rules to the 
>limit.  The problem here, if there is one, may lie within the 
>compulsion to have all of these rules.  The critics, in my opinion, 
>are screaming because Ferrari did not exercise judgment in a 
>situation where judgment had been replaced by the rules.  You either 
>exercise judgment, or, you follow the rules.  Take your pick.  But, 
>whichever you pick, please, be big enough to accept the consequences 
>of your decision. 
>
>Ferrari says "we have learned our lessons the hard way ... we have 
>lost the championship before over a few points.  So, today, we did 
>what was allowed and we went for the points." How can someone blame 
>them for that? 
>
>I also see this in a similar light as when the neighborhood kids 
>gather out in the empty lot nearby to play football.  There are 14 
>kids there, and between them it is all they could do to come up with 
>the ball.  They are playing the game for the sake of playing the 
>game.  Then, along comes a kid with a helmet, spiked shoes, shoulder 
>pads and so on.  He is there, not just to play the game, but to play 
>it to the limit and to make sure he WINS. And, when he does, they 
>hate him. 
>
>Vince Lombardi is honored by people everywhere for saying "Winning 
>isn't everything, it is the ONLY thing".  So, Ferrari adopted this 
>idea and played it to the limit.  And, now they are being touted as 
>the bad guys everywhere.  Now we hate the winner again. 
>
>I admit, I was surprised to see them do what they did. It reeks of 
>bad PR.  It gives tongues a reason to wag.  But, I wasn't SHOCKED 
>and I don't think that they deserve all the shame that is being 
>piled on them.  I guess, Vince Lombardi may have been wrong in a 
>way.  Yes, winning isn't everything.  But, if it is the only thing, 
>then winning alone isn't enough.  What seems to be more important is 
>HOW YOU DO IT.  The losers will still criticize the winner for not 
>winning in a way that pleases them. 
>
>Where I was not shocked that Rubins took his team orders and 
>followed them, I am TOTALLY SHOCKED by Jackie Stewart's statement 
>that "Schumacher should have DISOBEYED team orders".  Who the hell 
>does Stewart think he is to suggest that ANY team player should 
>disobey the orders of his coach or his team?  And, Berger's comments 
>are no better.  And, please, lets let Niki Lauda keep is comments 
>for German TV.  Maybe I will be more interested in listening to Niki 
>Lauda when he can field a team that can play through to the end of 
>the game. 
>
>I think that my advice to the FIA would be to leave this event 
>alone, don't do anything to perpetuate it and memorialize it in the 
>memories of people any more than it is, get on with business and 
>hope that the memories die out fast.  I think that Ferrari needs to 
>just go on racing.  As for all the people who are threatening to 
>"give up F-1 racing" over this, I suggest that they are jealous, 
>insecure people who cannot see someone so dedicated to winning that 
>they make it the only thing that counts.  I suggest that the rule 
>book be reviewed and, if it seems that the rules allow one team to 
>gain such a position of superiority over all the others that it 
>eliminates competition, then the rules be changed. 
>
>But, as long as the rules have created a situation where the race is 
>between TEAMS for a TEAM/CONSTRUCTOR Championship, in addition to 
>the Driver's Championship, let's don't be so hard on the team that 
>chooses to rank the TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP on an equal plane with the 
>Drivers Championship, especially if they decided to direct their 
>team and conduct themselves accordingly.
>
>Ferrari have developed a car that is superior by one full second on 
>every lap, they have developed a driver who may be the best there 
>ever was.  Then, they made the driver and the support personnel part 
>of a TEAM to support a TEAM effort.  Ferrari have decided that they 
>have a TEAM in which the drivers are an element just like the 
>aerodynamic engineer.  F-1 racing, for them, is not an individual 
>sport, where the driver is supported by the team, it is a TEAM sport 
>where everyone supports the goals of the team.  And, this team has 
>only one goal ... WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIPS.  And, on Sunday, they 
>proved that once and for all.  They showed everyone just how far 
>they would go to make sure that they won. 
>
>Now, it pisses people off.
>
>Is this the old F-1 where drivers with huge ego's rule the sport? 
>Not any more.  The sport changed when the "factories" started 
>fielding the teams.  Now the teams are run and decisions are made 
>more like business decisions.  Develop a TEAM, set the GOAL, cary 
>out the STRATEGY and accomplish the GOAL. 
>
>Ferrari did absolutely nothing except to tell its TEAM that they 
>wanted to win BOTH Championships.  It will be even more difficult to 
>do that now, I think, in the face of the criticism.  But now, more 
>than ever, I hope they do. 
>
>One more thing.  Am I the only person in earth who wonders why this 
>event happened EXACTLY at the moment of Fiat's announcement that 
>they were putting Ferrari up for sale?  Fiat is experiencing big 
>losses at the moment and selling off some of Ferrari would reduce 
>those losses.  I am stretching to see how the market for shares in 
>Ferrari will be improved by this hubbub.  Maybe Fiat should think 
>about selling of somebody else instead.
>
>Best wishes to Janice.
>
>Love,
>
>John
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