FIA Tribunal hearing in Paris

[Mich the Tester]

It's actually looking tough for the FIA here, they look like chimps. Pirelli have, effectively, stated you have no control over what we do chaps, now be good boys and fook off out of it.

Brawn: another tactical masterpiece. Would love to see Horners face right now. It's also going to spice up the season, as no one normally 'formally' accuses another team unless they've gone nuclear. You can see this season ending acrimoniously. It's like a soap opera!

Worse than a soap.

Mercedes said they regretted the fact that their drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, wore anonymous black helmets when driving at the test.

What next? Hamilton caught wearing the wrong colour of underpants?

Pathetic. Wouldn't it be nice if the judge were to tell them all to grow up?

Mind you, the rugby blazers do this kind of thing as well; I remember Manu Tuilagi getting fined for wearing the wrong colour of gumshield instead of a sponsored one.

This is why I won't do stuff like the rugby club committee; I dont want to turn into one of those idiots.

[AtW]

This is why I won't do stuff like the rugby club committee; I dont want to turn into one of those idiots.

If you are really concerned about it then you should stop posting on CUK as well

[Mich the Tester]

If you are really concerned about it then you should stop posting on CUK as well

Not THAT concerned.

[TheFaQQer]

Worse than a soap.

What next? Hamilton caught wearing the wrong colour of underpants?

The implication of them not wearing their normal helmets is that both the tyre manufacturer and the team didn't want anyone to notice that they were using the current driver line-up, in the current car, when in breach of the regulations.

Every other test that Hamilton has done, he uses his normal race helmet, and everyone knows that it's him. Trying to disguise who the drivers are suggests something to hide.

[Mich the Tester]

The implication of them not wearing their normal helmets is that both the tyre manufacturer and the team didn't want anyone to notice that they were using the current driver line-up, in the current car, when in breach of the regulations.

Every other test that Hamilton has done, he uses his normal race helmet, and everyone knows that it's him. Trying to disguise who the drivers are suggests something to hide.

Stupid regulations then. Try to restrict the trade of Pirelli and Mercedes and you're bound to end up in court. If FIA wins, two huge companies might just bugger off and find something else to do with their money, so F1 loses. If FIA loses the case, they look ridiculous and F1 loses. Waste of time, the whole thing.

[AtW]

Waste of time, the whole thing.

It's ze rulez.

[Mich the Tester]

It's ze rulez.

Same rulez as the IRB, UCI and TCCB (whatever they're called now).

Regulation 1.i.(a)

As a sports governing body it is our aim to make a bleeding pain in the arse of ourselves while creaming off the money and handing free tickets to all our mates.

[TheFaQQer]

Stupid regulations then. Try to restrict the trade of Pirelli and Mercedes and you're bound to end up in court. If FIA wins, two huge companies might just bugger off and find something else to do with their money, so F1 loses. If FIA loses the case, they look ridiculous and F1 loses. Waste of time, the whole thing.

The rules say no out of season testing.

The FIA said they could do it, if they told everyone else that they were doing it.

They chose to do the test in secret, to the extent that they tried to hide the identity of the people who were driving the cars.

They got caught, and Mercedes are now arguing the technicality that the test was nothing to do with them. They have also tried to reel Ferrari into the tribunal because they tested a car that was two years old (allowed by the rules) - the argument being that the 2011 car isn't that much different from the 2013 car.

As ever with Ross Brawn, it's whether they can weasel out of being caught yet again.

[Mich the Tester]

The rules say no out of season testing.

The FIA said they could do it, if they told everyone else that they were doing it.

They chose to do the test in secret, to the extent that they tried to hide the identity of the people who were driving the cars.

They got caught, and Mercedes are now arguing the technicality that the test was nothing to do with them. They have also tried to reel Ferrari into the tribunal because they tested a car that was two years old (allowed by the rules) - the argument being that the 2011 car isn't that much different from the 2013 car.

As ever with Ross Brawn, it's whether they can weasel out of being caught yet again.

So they introduced rules that in court either won't stand up, or if they do stand up then two huge companies walk out in a huff and leave F1 starved of tyres, engines and money, which seem to be three essential things for racing cars.

[Old Hack]

The implication of them not wearing their normal helmets is that both the tyre manufacturer and the team didn't want anyone to notice that they were using the current driver line-up, in the current car, when in breach of the regulations.

Every other test that Hamilton has done, he uses his normal race helmet, and everyone knows that it's him. Trying to disguise who the drivers are suggests something to hide.

It could also imply you didn't want his fans all over the track.

I agree, it does look like they were avoiding it, but jesus, it's the most used F1 track in Europe for testing, and F1 cars are not sleepy little doormise; it's not like they headed out to Namibia and held outside windhoek.

Pirelli have made me chuckle, I must admit.