4
New managing director of F1 Ross Brawn says that fixing the finish of the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix was a mistake. In the closing stages of the race, Ferrari ordered leader Rubens Barrichello to let by teammate Michael Schumacher so he could take maximum points in the drivers championship.
Barrichello obliged, and it caused for a mass upset. On the podium, they were booed and Schumacher awkwardly stepped off the top of the podium to allow Barrichello on it.
However Brawn, who was technical director at Ferrari at the time, admits that they were wrong to make that decision.
"Austria, on reflection... it was a mistake," he told to Autosport. "The circumstances behind it were a bit more complex than people realise, in that we'd had the discussion before the race about how we would manage that situation if it occurred - that if Rubens got the jump on Michael, then at some convenient point he would let him slip past and we'd carry on."
Brawn says that if they were to re-run the race he would not repeat the decision due to the unrest and unwelcome reception it received.
"What followed was far more damaging and distracting for the team than if we'd just left it alone and given Rubens a spanking in private. If I could have re-run it I wouldn't have done what we did, because the consequences were more far-reaching than we could have considered. Something that should have been an internal team matter became very political."
Fergal Walsh
Grand Prix of BelgiumLocal time
Grand Prix of BelgiumLocal time
Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
M. Verstappen
C. Sainz jr
C. Leclerc
Bahrain
United Arab Emirates
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street Circuit
Australia
Albert Park
Japan
Circuit Suzuka
United States of America
Miami International Autodrome
Monaco
Monte Carlo
Canada
Gilles Villeneuve
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
Austria
Red Bull Ring
United Kingdom
Silverstone
Hungary
Hungaroring
Belgium
Spa-Francorchamps
Netherlands
Circuit Zandvoort
Italy
Monza
Azerbaijan
Baku City Circuit
Singapore
Marina Bay Street Circuit
United States of America
Circuit of the Americas
Mexico
Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez
Brazil
Interlagos
United States of America
Las Vegas Street Circuit
United Arab Emirates
Yas Marina Circuit
United Arab Emirates
Yas Marina Circuit
490,493 comments on Ferrari
281 members have this team as their favourite
Tweets about Ferrari
Replies (4)
Login to replyf1fan0101
Posts: 1,804
Certainly a poor decision... A lot of unhappiness around that
bremgarten
Posts: 38
I have a lot of respect for Brawn and pleased that he won the championship with his own team.
However, what he did with Schumacher and Barrichello - simply put - was "race fixing".
mclarenfan1968
Posts: 1,027
He is only sorry because the fans weren't outsmarted that day, they booed the heck out at Ferrari.
Wolfgang
Posts: 313
remembering this day very well and i also didn´t realise it was that tight in the championship which made ferrari doing that. Good gesture from michael stepping down from P1 in that moment.