F1 moments you feel have tainted the sport the most!

[steveaki13]

One thing that taints the sport sadly are the deaths in F1.

When deaths occur people question F1 and whether its too dangerous and hurts F1 for a time, however from that F1 grows and evolves to improve safety and comes out of the darkness stronger, while remembering those heros who have perished.

[Koz]

Michael Schumacher's chopping of DH and JV.

Flavio.

Max Mosley.

Spygate.
Crashgate.
Liargate.

The selection/blackmail of the new F1 teams.

The amount of pay drivers in F1 and the many drivers deserving a seat sitting out.

DRS.

HRT. USGP.

[rjbetty]

Didn't Lewis admit he lied though? Didn't he reaslise he'd done the wrong thing and told the truth to make amends. I think he was pressured into lying. He couldn't live with it so went back and told the truth.

So he did the right thing. We've all done things wrong, especially when others have pressures/bullied us. But he went to make amends? Isn't that how it went?

I think Lewis haters (people bitter that he outperformed Alonso - as a rookie!!!) jump on this and make him out to be an evil person.

Fernando Alonso knows a thing or two about lying, especially in the press conference after Hockenheim 2010! Not to mention crashgate probably.

[Koz]

I didn't mention Lewis specifically, did I?

I just feel that it was one of the moments tainted the sport.
Nor do I think Lewis is an evil person, an idiot sometimes, but in no way a bad guy.

However, I will add Piquet, Jr. did taint the sport, whether coerced by Flavio or not. He should have received a ban like Flavio.

I agree about Alonso, I am amazed that people forget about his involvement in Crashgate and most certainly Spygate. Teflonso...

[Natalie.S]

However, I will add Piquet, Jr. did taint the sport, whether coerced by Flavio or not. He should have received a ban like Flavio.

I agree about Alonso, I am amazed that people forget about his involvement in Crashgate and most certainly Spygate. Teflonso...

It seems some here seem fail to understand the concept of immunity.

Without Fernando whistle-blowing on the McLaren cheaters it would have been nigh impossible for FIA to convict the cheaters at McLaren as the first WMSC hearing proved.

Without Nelsinho's testimony it would have been impossible to nail Briatore and Symonds.
Also he confirmed that Alonso was not complicit to Crashgate.

[rjbetty]

I didn't mention Lewis specifically, did I?

I just feel that it was one of the moments tainted the sport.
Nor do I think Lewis is an evil person, an idiot sometimes, but in no way a bad guy.

However, I will add Piquet, Jr. did taint the sport, whether coerced by Flavio or not. He should have received a ban like Flavio.

I agree about Alonso, I am amazed that people forget about his involvement in Crashgate and most certainly Spygate. Teflonso...

It's alright Koz, I didn't mean you specifically either.
I had in mind a lot of fans in general and just stuff I've read when I said that.

[wedge]

Some punishments never fitted the crime.

Schumi should have been, at the very least, banned for a few races at the start of the 2000 season and not a slap on the wrist ie. disqualified from 1999 WDC.

Considering that McLaren were able to fight for 2007 WDC then it is only right that as a compromise that they should not be able to score points in 2008 WCC. In 2008 McLaren were supposed to be garaging with the tail-enders but Bernie caved in and moved them admist the midfield to make it a bit more appealing to the prawn sarnie brigade.

the endemic cheating at Benetton and Ferrari, especially on the electronics front, during the Schumacher era which, if the FIA weren't complicite in, were guilty of overlooking

I personally don't prescribe to that theory.

Benetton were cleared in 1994 of using TC despite a feud that turned into a witchhunt between Max Mosley and Flavio Briatore/Benetton.

It's been said that every car is illegal - the authorities don't know where to find it after all the team's are always looking to keep a step ahead of those of police the rules.

I would argue that electronics and software management (or whatever the correct term is) tainted the sport in the 1990s. It's a complex piece of kit which in practice is very tough to police. For instance the most common assertion of utilising TC came from fuel management. It got to the point in the late 90s that it was an open secret that pretty much every car had TC of some form which is why TC became legal because the FIA admitted defeat.

[Koz]

It seems some here seem fail to understand the concept of immunity.

Without Fernando whistle-blowing on the McLaren cheaters it would have been nigh impossible for FIA to convict the cheaters at McLaren as the first WMSC hearing proved.

Without Nelsinho's testimony it would have been impossible to nail Briatore and Symonds.
Also he confirmed that Alonso was not complicit to Crashgate.

Keep in mind that in both these cases, the guys came forward after blackmailing Ron and Flavio didn't work. If Alonso had #1 status at McLaren, or had Junior kept his drive at Renault, do you think we would have heard from them?

[henners88]

Keep in mind that in both these cases, the guys came forward after blackmailing Ron and Flavio didn't work. If Alonso had #1 status at McLaren, or had Junior kept his drive at Renault, do you think we would have heard from them?

Indeed.
I think what is key in both those cases is the fact both the whistle blowers i.e Alonso and Piquet were happy to cheat until it didn't suit their positions. Nelson approached the FIA after it seemed his career at Renault was over and Alonso didn't come forward officially at all. Ron Dennis called his bluff after an attempt from Alonso to blackmail the team backfired. Both Alonso and Piquet took to the witness stand and both affectively escaped punishment apart from a damaged public image. Its very easy to applaud these drivers for their help in convicting their employers, but both were corrupt enough to cheat in the first place. Alonso unlike Piquet has managed to recover most of his reputation and established himself as a very mature driver since however.

[N4D13]

#2 the orchestrated lying by Lewis Hamilton and Mclaren after the 2009 Aussie GP
Positive side effect was that Ron Dennis was run out of the sport

I know that this was going to come up, and I believe that the Liegate affair was just blown out of proportion. Everyone lies if it's beneficial for them - it's just that Lewis and Macca did it in a particularly dumb way. I don't think this was really so bad, and hardly everyone remembers that these days. The same can't be said for Spygate and Crashgate, though.