Post by QPR Report on Oct 21, 2009 7:42:41 GMT
Motorsport
Senna death was 'good for F1' - Ecclestone
Racing series F1
Date 2009-10-19
By Motorsport.com/GMM
After enraging the world with his remarks about Hitler earlier this year, Bernie Ecclestone is once again making headlines for the wrong reasons.
Sections of the international media are reporting disbelief at the F1 chief executive's latest controversial comments about the late triple world champion Ayrton Senna.
After greeting Senna's sister Viviane and her son Bruno in the Interlagos paddock at the weekend, the 78-year-old was quoted as saying the Brazilian's death during the 1994 world championship was ultimately "good for F1".
"He was unfortunate," Ecclestone told the local Folha de S.Paulo newspaper, "but the publicity generated by his death was so much ... it was good for F1.
"It was a shame that we had to lose Ayrton, but it happened. He was very popular, but the actual event interested so many people who did not know about the sport," he added.
www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=349643&FS=F1
Crashnet
» Ecclestone: Publicity from Senna death 'good for F1'
The tragic death of Ayrton Senna in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at Imola brought good as well as bad to F1, contends Bernie Ecclestone
The publicity generated by the tragic death of Ayrton Senna 15 years ago 'was good for F1' – that is the extraordinary pronouncement of the sport's commercial rights-holder Bernie Ecclestone, who earlier this year was widely pilloried for having admired Adolf Hitler and Saddam Hussein as model leaders who 'got things done'.
On the weekend of the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos – where home hero Senna twice triumphed, sending the partisan crowd into raptures – Ecclestone caused further controversy in suggesting that the accident that claimed the life of the legendary three-time F1 World Champion in the opening stages of the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at Imola actually benefitted the sport in some respects as well as taking away from it, both in terms of the exposure it guaranteed and the improved safety measures it precipitated.
“He was unfortunate,” the Formula One Management (FOM) chief executive told Brazilian newspaper Folha de São Paulo, “but the publicity generated by his death was so much...It was good for F1.
“It was a shame that we had to lose Ayrton, but it happened. He was very popular, but the actual event interested so many people who did not know about the sport, and increased interest in F1 because of it.”
Ecclestone similarly used the interview as an opportunity to praise the way in which the top flight has responded to the ongoing global economic turmoil – “People talk about the crisis,” he mused, “but there is money out there – I just talked to a guy who wants to buy one of the teams” – and contended that 'Singapore-gate' protagonist Nelsinho Piquet deserves another chance in F1.
The 78-year-old also rubbished suggestions that Ferrari might be granted its wish of running three cars in 2010 – one for the recovering Felipe Massa, one for double world champion Fernando Alonso and a third for the record-breaking Michael Schumacher, who has again hinted that he may yet return to competition at the highest level after his summer test re-whetted his appetite for the fight.
“It's stupid,” the Englishman bluntly opined. “It will not happen – forget about it.”
www.crash.net/f1/news/153720/1/ecclestone_publicity_from_senna_death_good_for_f1.html
Crashnet
F1 » Stewart: 'Wrong' for Mosley and Ecclestone to support Todt
Ari Vatanen is the best candidate to be the next FIA President, opines former triple F1 World Champion Sir Jackie Stewart - and Max Mosely and Bernie Ecclestone should keep their views out of it...
It is 'wrong' that both outgoing FIA President Max Mosley and influential F1 commercial rights-holder Bernie Ecclestone are publicly backing Jean Todt in the election battle, asserts former three-time world champion Sir Jackie Stewart – who believes the Frenchman's rival Ari Vatanen 'would be a breath of fresh air' in the role and just the 'fresh face' the sport needs.
Only four days away now from the Paris poll that will decide which of the two candidates will succeed Mosley in the most powerful post in international motor racing – bringing to an end the Englishman's contentious 16-year reign – the build-up has been dogged by claim and counter-claim on both sides, with the present incumbent making no effort to conceal his opinions on who should be voted in.
After Mosley warned Vatanen in a letter that he would 'lose and lose badly' for having 'chosen to denigrate the FIA and those currently in office rather than run a constructive and civilised campaign' – and, moreover, threatened any member clubs that pledge their allegiance to the Finn with marginalisation under a Todt presidency [see separate story – click here] – the 1981 World Rally Champion responded by accusing Mosley of a 'breach of the principle of neutrality' in an effort to 'distort the results' [see separate story – click here].
Todt subsequently waded in by calling for an end to 'personal attacks and false allegations', as Mosley opined that Vatanen's remarks were 'wild and irresponsible' – and the series of very public spats has led some to question just how fair and unbiased the election will ultimately be.
There are fears that a Todt victory would merely guarantee a continuation of the autocratic and increasingly arbitrary Mosley era – with the ex-Ferrari team principal invariably dividing paddock opinion, with many uncomfortable at the prospect of his running a sport that some believe is already unjustifiably weighted in favour of the Scuderia – whilst Vatanen has repeatedly presented himself as the candidate for change, in the wake of the plethora of high-profile controversies to have rocked the paddock in recent years, from 'Spygate' to sex scandals and Singapore.
Stewart – a man who has had a number of run-ins with Mosley over the years, with the latter most infamously describing the highly-respected Scot as 'a certified halfwit', regarded as being a crude reference to the 27-time grand prix-winner's dyslexia – tends to agree, and argues that F1's leading figures should remain entirely impartial in such an important decision.
“There's got to be major change in the governance of F1 and motorsport and the FIA in general,” the 69-year-old told BBC Radio Five Live's Sportsweek programme. “Ari Vatanen would be a breath of fresh air and would certainly do it in another manner. I don't necessarily believe that somebody from the cockpit, somebody from the garage of the F1 paddock, should be at the head of F1. I think it needs a fresh face.
“Jean Todt is being supported very heavily by the current president Max Mosley and by Bernie Ecclestone. I think it's wrong for them to do that, and I did tell Bernie that when I was at the grand prix in Singapore. They should be sitting on their hands and not voting for anybody, because perception is many times nine tenths of the law.
“People perceive [that] because both of them are voting for Jean Todt, that would suggest it's going to be 'Play it Again Sam' and a similar nature in the manner that the sport is being governed.”
www.crash.net/f1/news/153730/1/stewart_wrong_for_mosley_and_ecclestone_to_support_todt.html
Senna death was 'good for F1' - Ecclestone
Racing series F1
Date 2009-10-19
By Motorsport.com/GMM
After enraging the world with his remarks about Hitler earlier this year, Bernie Ecclestone is once again making headlines for the wrong reasons.
Sections of the international media are reporting disbelief at the F1 chief executive's latest controversial comments about the late triple world champion Ayrton Senna.
After greeting Senna's sister Viviane and her son Bruno in the Interlagos paddock at the weekend, the 78-year-old was quoted as saying the Brazilian's death during the 1994 world championship was ultimately "good for F1".
"He was unfortunate," Ecclestone told the local Folha de S.Paulo newspaper, "but the publicity generated by his death was so much ... it was good for F1.
"It was a shame that we had to lose Ayrton, but it happened. He was very popular, but the actual event interested so many people who did not know about the sport," he added.
www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=349643&FS=F1
Crashnet
» Ecclestone: Publicity from Senna death 'good for F1'
The tragic death of Ayrton Senna in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at Imola brought good as well as bad to F1, contends Bernie Ecclestone
The publicity generated by the tragic death of Ayrton Senna 15 years ago 'was good for F1' – that is the extraordinary pronouncement of the sport's commercial rights-holder Bernie Ecclestone, who earlier this year was widely pilloried for having admired Adolf Hitler and Saddam Hussein as model leaders who 'got things done'.
On the weekend of the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos – where home hero Senna twice triumphed, sending the partisan crowd into raptures – Ecclestone caused further controversy in suggesting that the accident that claimed the life of the legendary three-time F1 World Champion in the opening stages of the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at Imola actually benefitted the sport in some respects as well as taking away from it, both in terms of the exposure it guaranteed and the improved safety measures it precipitated.
“He was unfortunate,” the Formula One Management (FOM) chief executive told Brazilian newspaper Folha de São Paulo, “but the publicity generated by his death was so much...It was good for F1.
“It was a shame that we had to lose Ayrton, but it happened. He was very popular, but the actual event interested so many people who did not know about the sport, and increased interest in F1 because of it.”
Ecclestone similarly used the interview as an opportunity to praise the way in which the top flight has responded to the ongoing global economic turmoil – “People talk about the crisis,” he mused, “but there is money out there – I just talked to a guy who wants to buy one of the teams” – and contended that 'Singapore-gate' protagonist Nelsinho Piquet deserves another chance in F1.
The 78-year-old also rubbished suggestions that Ferrari might be granted its wish of running three cars in 2010 – one for the recovering Felipe Massa, one for double world champion Fernando Alonso and a third for the record-breaking Michael Schumacher, who has again hinted that he may yet return to competition at the highest level after his summer test re-whetted his appetite for the fight.
“It's stupid,” the Englishman bluntly opined. “It will not happen – forget about it.”
www.crash.net/f1/news/153720/1/ecclestone_publicity_from_senna_death_good_for_f1.html
Crashnet
F1 » Stewart: 'Wrong' for Mosley and Ecclestone to support Todt
Ari Vatanen is the best candidate to be the next FIA President, opines former triple F1 World Champion Sir Jackie Stewart - and Max Mosely and Bernie Ecclestone should keep their views out of it...
It is 'wrong' that both outgoing FIA President Max Mosley and influential F1 commercial rights-holder Bernie Ecclestone are publicly backing Jean Todt in the election battle, asserts former three-time world champion Sir Jackie Stewart – who believes the Frenchman's rival Ari Vatanen 'would be a breath of fresh air' in the role and just the 'fresh face' the sport needs.
Only four days away now from the Paris poll that will decide which of the two candidates will succeed Mosley in the most powerful post in international motor racing – bringing to an end the Englishman's contentious 16-year reign – the build-up has been dogged by claim and counter-claim on both sides, with the present incumbent making no effort to conceal his opinions on who should be voted in.
After Mosley warned Vatanen in a letter that he would 'lose and lose badly' for having 'chosen to denigrate the FIA and those currently in office rather than run a constructive and civilised campaign' – and, moreover, threatened any member clubs that pledge their allegiance to the Finn with marginalisation under a Todt presidency [see separate story – click here] – the 1981 World Rally Champion responded by accusing Mosley of a 'breach of the principle of neutrality' in an effort to 'distort the results' [see separate story – click here].
Todt subsequently waded in by calling for an end to 'personal attacks and false allegations', as Mosley opined that Vatanen's remarks were 'wild and irresponsible' – and the series of very public spats has led some to question just how fair and unbiased the election will ultimately be.
There are fears that a Todt victory would merely guarantee a continuation of the autocratic and increasingly arbitrary Mosley era – with the ex-Ferrari team principal invariably dividing paddock opinion, with many uncomfortable at the prospect of his running a sport that some believe is already unjustifiably weighted in favour of the Scuderia – whilst Vatanen has repeatedly presented himself as the candidate for change, in the wake of the plethora of high-profile controversies to have rocked the paddock in recent years, from 'Spygate' to sex scandals and Singapore.
Stewart – a man who has had a number of run-ins with Mosley over the years, with the latter most infamously describing the highly-respected Scot as 'a certified halfwit', regarded as being a crude reference to the 27-time grand prix-winner's dyslexia – tends to agree, and argues that F1's leading figures should remain entirely impartial in such an important decision.
“There's got to be major change in the governance of F1 and motorsport and the FIA in general,” the 69-year-old told BBC Radio Five Live's Sportsweek programme. “Ari Vatanen would be a breath of fresh air and would certainly do it in another manner. I don't necessarily believe that somebody from the cockpit, somebody from the garage of the F1 paddock, should be at the head of F1. I think it needs a fresh face.
“Jean Todt is being supported very heavily by the current president Max Mosley and by Bernie Ecclestone. I think it's wrong for them to do that, and I did tell Bernie that when I was at the grand prix in Singapore. They should be sitting on their hands and not voting for anybody, because perception is many times nine tenths of the law.
“People perceive [that] because both of them are voting for Jean Todt, that would suggest it's going to be 'Play it Again Sam' and a similar nature in the manner that the sport is being governed.”
www.crash.net/f1/news/153730/1/stewart_wrong_for_mosley_and_ecclestone_to_support_todt.html
