An Awkward Race(to get to)

Well, well...I am sitting in Luton airport - yes the iconic "Luton airport", awaiting a Formula One charter flight to Clermont Ferrand and I have been reading through the debate about Fernando in the comments to the post below. Clearly Fernando is going to remain a highly controversial figure for the remainder of his Formula One career and, I suspect, he will forever be associated in some people's minds with what he did, or did not do, last year. There is no point in going through it all again - there are plenty of references in the comments about what went on. It just underlines again the unfortunate mess Fernando has made of his career out of the car. I have always found him - even if he is understandably very nervous of the British press - a warm and personable individual, but you can tell he is headstrong and thus requires good advice, especially in the heat of the moment. And that, of course, is what was lacking last year at critical times when Fernando needed to stand back, take a deep breath, and think carefully about how to proceed and the consequences of his actions. Unfortunately he did huge damage to his prospects by rushing ahead.

It is interesting, isn't it, that Fernando won the poll comfortably ahead of Lewis(4th) who beat him overall(just) last year. My explanation for this is partly that the poll was about the here and now, not what we thought last December. In the intervening time, Lewis has shown frailties and Fernando strengths which have changed perceptions. Also it is not accurate to argue that Lewis simply blew Fernando off the track last season; he did nothing of the sort. In fact they were always very close and it was often hard to say who was quickest at any one time, depending on how you measured it. The main difference between them was that Lewis was driving with the innocent abandone and untrammelled optimism of the rookie while Fernando had a reputation to protect and a growing sense of anger about how he was being treaated. No doubt this debate will run and run.

Back to Luton. This plane is laid on because Magny Cours is a very difficult location to get to from Britain and elsewhere. There are no easy answers(fly to Paris and car; Eurostar and train and car; camper van from home via Le Mans{true petrol heads only}) and that is one of the reasons why it is being consigned to the dustbin of motor racing history after this race. We fly to Clermont Ferrand and then drive up to our hotels spread around in the countryside. Last year Garside, myself and Johnny McEvoy of the Mail stayed in a run-down Chateau owned by a Dutch family which was tucked away in a fold in the hills about 50Kms from Magny Cours. I quite liked it. It was creaky, a bit spooky and the family owned a great dog called Basil, after John Cleese in Fawlty Towers, who was trained to fetch our golf balls which we hit on the back lawn towards the trees. I think we had a 7-iron and Basil never missed a trick, bringing them right back to our feet. Of course we had to put up with Garside's lectures on what a great golfer he is but it was a nice way to spend the evenings.

This time I am in a hotel much nearer the track where the ITV crew are staying. The flight, by the way(I know some of you are interested in this sort of stuff), seems to have quite a few journos on board, a sizeable McLaren contingent, Force India people, and mechanics from Renault and Williams. Anyway the French Grand Prix is in our sights. For Lewis this looks like being a real test of character. He cannot afford to allow any frustration about what happened in Canada and the subsequent penalty to get to him and he is going to have to grind it out and hope he can score some points. As many of you have pointed out, the French track is a very difficult one to pass on(unless you are driving on PlayStation with the damage "off"), so Lewis is going to have to bide his time and hope events assist him. Somehow it feels a crucial race for Lewis as he seeks to re-establish his championship momemtum.

Magny Cours is a Ferrari track/fortress so Kimi and Felipe are likely to be very strong. Kimi is back on the warpath, hungry for points apparently, having been seriously annoyed by his misfortune in Montreal while Felipe had some brilliant moments in Canada, but will be looking for a better result this time. Then of course we have to consider Robert. Surely he cannot be world champion in this year's BMW? One would imagine, given the performance deficit he is still struggling with, he will have his work cut out this weekend. Finally Heikki is overdue a good finish and a bit of luck. France could be his moment.

For what it's worth, here is a prediction for race finish:

1. Kimi
2. Felipe
3. Heikki
4. Robert

Plane to catch...

Comments

[Stelmara]

How about a first win for Heiki or is he not really up to winning? He has not shown winning class far, good number 2 maybe.

Stella

[Juan]

How can a driver, who has pushed a wrong button several times and who crashed another car in the pit lane, be considered better than Alonso?

"hat Fernando won the poll comfortably ahead of Lewis who beat him overall(just) last year",jajaja. At the end they got the same points, Ed.

As I said before, britons should start seeking another national hero.

This one is too much overrated.

[Aaron James]

Good blog entry Ed. I am a bit jealous actually because on Thursday in the driver PC, you're going to have Kimi, Felipe, Lewis and Robert. Kimi is seriously pissed off about Montreal and with the foreign press quite likely to be getting stuck into Lewis for his 'shallow' apology and the British press no doubt trying to provoke even the barest glimmer of fire in the iceman it ought to be entertaining stuff as far as driver PC's go.

Then of course it would be a good opportunity to ask the drivers about your 'top 5...', and maybe how they think they are perceived by fans :-)

[Rob]

This is the second time I've noticed you saying that Magny-Cours is a difficult to pass on. I disagree, the Adelaide hairpin is one of the easiest overtaking spots of the whole F1 calendar. Look back through a few years worth of French GPs (IIRC the wet one in 1999 was a particularly good example) and you'll see quite a few moves taking place there, both under braking on the way in and accelerating on the way out...

[Jordi]

KIMI
FELIPE
ROBERT
KOVA

[Felipe]

People have been questioning Hamilton's strategy for the race... will be very difficult, he can hope for 11th at best, and then he will be surrounded by heavier and slower cars... can he get pole, relegated to 11th and fill up the car? I personally think he won't go for pole, but has to have a balance of speed and lack of fuel...

[Javier]

Fernando overtook several cars last year (Fisichella, Heifeld).

Lewis has the same problem. He will start 11-14 depending on his Q3 effort. Last year Fernando started 10th and finished 7th due to a bad strategy from Mclaren IMO

So Lewis has a problem (he will start from a worse position) and an advantage (Mclaren already knows how to focus on the Q3, last year it was a surprise as FA´s gearbox failed).

Interesting to see what happens. I do not intend to compare the two races as every race is different.
But it will be interesting to see how does Lewis manage to get through the field.

[javiervivaespania]

All this especulation is interesting, but the fact is that Bob Bell and Briatore are very excited with the new developments that have been introduced in the R28, which is definitively tha car with the biggest level of evolution this season. Fernando has been working hard with the help of all the Renault engineers and this weekend could be a big surprise.

[Miguel]

Hi Ed,

First of all thank you for your work, every week I await for your blog ;-).

I would like that Fernando could fight for the first positions but unless I have Robert :) I enjoy also with him.

Lewis, I think that will be a great show seeing how he will try to overtake all these slow cars that he will find.

Best regards from Albacete (Spain)

[Felipe]

Is Javier the same as JavierVivaAlonsoytodoloespaniol, but without the mask, actually giving insights and being able to lose his usual (very funny, even his response to IDR in last post, I think IDR missed the joke) extreme pro Alonso stance.

[Augusto Baena]

I guess this is a "make-or-break" race for Heikki. All the eyes will be set on him. If he doesn't make it to the podium at least, he'll have a problem in my opinion.

My guess: Kimi, Felipe, Robert Kubica (not very original).

Regards

Augusto

[Felipe]

Felipe (not me, Massa)
Robert
Kimi
Weber

[Felipe]

Also, one last comment. I think Alonso needs to have a good race. There's no point in driving very well but not finishing races. I think he needs a solid finish and needs to catch up with Webber. Alonso needs to be the best of the rest, and the points don't say that now.

[Augusto Baena]

Ed: "... especially in the heat of the moment. And that, of course, is what was lacking last year at critical times when Fernando needed to stand back, take a deep breath, and think carefully about how to proceed and the consequences of his actions. Unfortunately he did huge damage to his career by rushing ahead."

Ed, I agree with you in general terms, but I would like to point out the fact that Ron (61) also lost his temper and made crap decisions when dealing with Fernando (26). We have to consider the fact Fernando, despite being a double WC, is just a 26 year-old guy with probably a lack of references in life. I manage teams (in a above-average salary industry) and 25 y.o. people are hard to manage. So ambitious, with such a high consideration abouth themselves, so difficult to provide them with constructive criticism... I guess managing a World Champion must be a daunting task... but it's essentially Ron's job (which he is very well paid for). IMHO, Ron's main job is "ego management". There were several "early-warning" signs that should have given him a clue that something would not turn out right. Ever since Fernando's relatives (allegedly) decided to watch the races from Renault's venue, to harsh treatment from British press ever since Monaco (at least), and the way Ron mismanaged all the "pitlane gate" (in my opinion, he should have somehow punished Lewis to avoid the "I lose, you win" effect on Fernando...). It was clear to any observer that that relationship would turn out sour.

I don't know whether Ron tried to manage this situation internally with Fernando, Lewis and the rest of the staff or not. But the bottom-line is he failed. To claim "we are not in speaking terms", "to say our relationship is cold is an understatement" is to drop your arms and avoid facing your job: ego-management. If Fernando is not on speaking terms with Ron, Ron has to swallow his pride and insist. He can't just say "he won't speak to me". Ron failed to make the most of one of his most valuable assets (at least, one of the most expensive).

What I read from Ron's version of the post-pitlane issue with Fernando (the emails episode) demonstrates my point. Fernando was out of himself, as probably anyone of us would be, and I would expect a person that happens to be his boss and has the age of his grandfather, could have managed the situation in a different manner. Any team-manager (like myself and I guess many of you) have had to manage "hurt-ego" situations and clearly the best practice is not to let the youngster lose his temper, and take everything at face value in the spur of the moment (remember that, according to Ron, he immediately called Max, and just half an hour later Alonso's manager came to apologize and it was too late).

In my opinion, the infamous Press Conference in Hungary'07 was a turning point in how Ron lost all his "auctoritas" and, hence, his ability to get his ego-management job done. The fact Lewis decided not to turn up, despairing him, after having insulted him through the team-radio, undermined all his credibility going forward. Rather than discipline his two spoiled babies, but trying to keep a neutral stance to avoid worsening the situation, he lost all his dignity, clearly not being able to cope with the situation.

I think the team imploded meanly due to off-track circumstances. And off-track circumstances were Ron's job. And failed (also Fernando failed). After the atmosphere imploded, Ron and Lewis started fighting Fernando, on-track (through strategies) and off-track (leaking out false claims against Alonso through the blood-thirsty British and German press), and they lost due to mis-management of key races in China and Brazil.

Regards

Augusto Baena

[Richard]

@Augusto - you've made many valid points here, but I think most people would agree that Ron Dennis didn't handle the situation with his drivers very well last year. Having said that, it was probably always going to be an impossible situation, and he couldn't have foreseen what was going to happen when he chose his drivers.

Thing is, the debate has been done to death on this blog. We're halfway through the next season now, so perhaps we should do 2008 justice and not let last year's issues continue to overshadow this year's very close and exciting championship.

[Javier]

I am not Javivivaespaña

Javier is like Martin or Edward, just a common name in spain

I am mod in a f1 forum so you can guess that I don´t like double nicknames.

Anyway I enjoy funny thoughts from Javi

Rgds

[Richard]

My predictions for France:

Kimi - out to overcome frustration of Canada
Robert - still full of confidence after Canada
Felipe - just because Kimi and Robert will be so strong
Heikki - might be under too much pressure to deliver a podium due to Lewis not being there
Fernando - Renault on home turf will want to get some decent points

I hope Lewis will try hard to find a way through the mid-field, it could end up being the most exciting part of the race. However, he might tone down his natural attacking style after Canada's mistake, I hope not!

[Juan H]

"And that, of course, is what was lacking last year at critical times when Fernando needed to stand back, take a deep breath, and think carefully about how to proceed and the consequences of his actions...."

As beatifully explained by Augusto, the point is that in fact Fernando DID all that (going after a while -not more than an hour or so!!!!- to apologize to Ron for the row) at Hungary, just to find out that Ron had already phoned Mosley, i.e., not much thinking on the consequences on Ron's side, don't you think?

[IDR]

Ed, thanks for opening a new window.

Nice story about Basil. I have a westy (west highland white terrier) but despite he likes to play with balls, I’m pretty sure that If I launch a golf ball with a 7-iron, my dog will be lost for sure! (His sense of direction is below average by far)

I’m afraid that you are hosted again in a Holiday Inn, aren’t you. There are not many options near Magny Cours. At least the facility has a 9 holes golf curse.

And tell us something about “La Bouinaude” I’m pretty sure you will be there at some time during the weekend.

In any case, this weekend we will have to go for a good burgundy, well I’ll try to look for something not very obvious but good enough to recommend.

Talking about race predictions, this is a Ferrari track so, I bet for Kimi.

1 Kimi (He seems to be “on”)

2 Kubica (He will push hardly, high motivation now)

3 Kovalainen (He has to demonstrate he is fast enough and his bad luck cannot be forever)

4 Massa (I’m still thinking Felipe is not quite consistent)

5 F Alonso (He has to fight for points and not losing again a new opportunity) It seems to me Renault has made a step forward.

@AUGUSTO BAENA

While I was reading your comment in this thread, I was remembering a similar one from me last year as others from you and many other bloggers.

I honestly think that every of us have arrive to a point in which we have our own firmly fixed view about that (Ed included) and, unless some of the protagonists make new declarations enlightening what have been said up to now, none of us are going to change our opinion, those in one side and those in the other.

So, in my opinion, every comment about this issue we could put again in the blog, is sterile by itself.

As software programs, this blog has his own “bug”. Every time we push this button, this blog enter in “repeat mode” until Ed press “reset”.

I know, Ed has press “reset” button but he has press again the wrong one, and you have come to clarify.

Should be wonderful if we can concentrate just in the other thousands of things around F1 to talk about.

Your comments, as many others, are always a pleasure to read.

[KoJ Finland]

Richard
I disagree, I think Alonso made it impossible for Ron Dennis to run HIS team as he saw fit, ie equal treatment between both drivers.
How could Dennis know that Alonso could not handle a team mate that proved to be as fast as he was, these are things that are learnt as time goes by.
Alonso is a brilliant driver but last year showed he also has a nasty side to him, if he had used his brain how different would this year be for him, who is the looser?
Although I am Finnish I don't have the almost fanatical hatred of anything not to do with Alonso and I can and do see just how good Hamilton is and like it or not he did beat Alonso last year in the same car in the same team in his first year in F1.
No doubt I will be attacked for sharing my views here.

Support a grand prix for Finland (after all Spain now has two)!

[Maurizio]

I hope to see a Ferrari 1 - 2 in France but think Heikki could spring a surprise (and it'd be high time for him to do so).

On the Alonso vs Dennis discussion, I am unsure what some of the fellow posters are saying. It would have been beneficial for Alonso not to talk about the emails with De la Rosa and the engineers about the Ferrari setup/etc but I think that coming out with the truth was the right thing to do, although it was put upon Ron Dennis as a threat from Alonso due to the Hungary mishap rather than from a genuine concern about sportsmanship and ethics.

Ed, are you arguing that Alonso should have kept his mouth shut and let the information on Spygate stay buried among the conniving McLaren management and engineers? I hope not :)

In any event, we now have Bernie threatening a breakaway F1 championship, so he can make himself all the more rich. Did anyone notice that despite letting stray dogs on the track in Turkey, which could have fatal results for drivers, the organisers were not penalised? Guess who owns the Turkish track? We should be talking about this stuff and why ticket prices are incredibly expensive yet often offer very poor viewing opportunities.

[IDR]

@KOJ FINDLAND

"Support a grand prix for Finland (after all Spain now has two)!"

I support a grand prix for Finland!

Ending october.... Wouldn't be great to see F1 cars with studded tyres?

But I'm afraid the most important question to host a F1 GP in this days is just money. So, If you want a Finnish F1 GP, the only thing you have to do is paying Bernie an enormous quantity of money.

Do you think Barheim has it just because is a great place to host a GP?

In F1, Money walks and Bull**** talks!

[F1-Insider]

@ KOJ FINLAND

I agree, Alonso did the damage to himself. He showed himself to be not a very nice person when he didn't get his own way, it's as though he though he was bigger than the team, which clearly he is not.

What he did in the pits was the pits and both childish and nasty and just look where it's got him.

Alonso, great driver, great person (so long as he gets his own way).

Senna, faced with the same situation would have shown his class on the track and left no one in any doubt as to his class as a racing driver, anyone who say Mika's first race for McLaren when he beat Senna in qualifying knows this to be true, Senna was and remains the master on the other hand Alonso may never again reach the heights he has already.

Dennis was faced with an impossible situation with Alonso, here was a man that would not be managed unless he got what he wanted and what he wanted is not the McLaren way and for those that are criticising his are talking rubbish, he did have both Prost and Senna and the Berger and Senna in his team and never had the problems Alonso gave him/McLaren.

The problem was Alonso and NOT Dennis!!!!

[Anon]

How 'bout a :

Kimi
Robert
Felipe
Heikki

I am scared to talk about Nick's pace: was Nick lucky in Canada as the safety car came out just when he needed, or was his better qualifying a sign that change is coming?

[Richard]

Koj - I agree with everything you've said (we both said Ron was in an impossible situation, and that he couldn't have known what he was letting himself in for). I just didn't wish to encourage more ridiculous anti-McLaren posts on the subject as I'm sure most of us would like to move on and talk about this year instead. Sadly, I'm sure you're right in thinking you will be attacked for your view if the recent past is anything to go by.

We only have to look at the post above by Juan H - 'Fernando DID all that (going after a while -not more than an hour or so!!!!- to apologize to Ron for the row) at Hungary, just to find out that Ron had already phoned Mosley, i.e., not much thinking on the consequences on Ron's side, don't you think?'

There have been numerous posts over the last few days criticising Ron Dennis for cheating and failing to inform the FIA when he apparently knew what was happening, etc etc. Yet now, when the argument suits, Juan is criticising Ron because he DID go and tell Mosley when he realised his drivers were involved - the man is damned if he does, and damned if he doesn't! Folks, it's time to realise how silly this is, and move on - it's 2008 now.

[Felipe]

Javier, I know it's a common name as I am Spanish. I like to think that JavierViva... needs an outlet other than his fervent fanatism, since I reckon he's actually a balanced avid F1 fan. Whether it's true or not.

Augusto, great article, very balanced and 0 hatred. But I agree with IDR, it's over for now, and I for one really want to read about this in ten years time when some of the players retire and are able to fully tell the story how it was... I think we will all learn a lot about it, and realise that nothing is black or white, it's actually gray. And all players are tainted, and then we will also see who is the biggest loser (right now it looks like Alonso).

[javiervivaespania]

My predictions:
1) Fernando Alonso Díaz
2) Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton
3) Robert Kubica

Big disaster for Ferrari. They will realize they need some magic in the team.

[CHIUNDA]

KOJ

u said "Support a grand prix for Finland (after all Spain now has two)!" - now that Ed has a cozy relationship with Bernie, maybe your insistence is not so badly misplaced and a word or two may sneak in during an interview with the FOM head.

Augusto Baena

Just to remind you that Ron Dennis is a mechanic not a Harvard MBA.Has it occurred to anybody that since Alonso is so good, he'd still have beaten Lewis fair and square without the enormous cost of the tantrums? Any showdown between some kid and the CEO/Chairman of an organisation is unlikely to end with the CEO/Chairman swallowing his pride - Ron Dennis also has an ego you know.

[belinda sanchez]

If Ed keeps bringing up last year's events we would ever get rid of these "likes and dislikes". I agree with ABaena, RD should have managed better both kids (23 and 26 years old). And Ed, it shows you go with LH all the way and are being unfair suggesting FA has ruined his career. That's not true. I won't get into facts because ABaena's comments described events quite clearly (although a few of you don't agree "Ricard" and F1-Insider"). I suggest all bloggers drop this LH-FA controversial issue and enjoy the races assessing drivers for their driving talents and not their looks or personality. At the end of the season the best will win, eventually¡¡¡ Love and Peace¡¡¡ BS

[Stelmara]

to Koj and Richard
I could not agree more with what you both say, it was totally Alonso's fault for what happened at McLaren last year, he was employed by the team and should have behaved as any employee or contractor should, which is for the good of the firm they are working for.
With McLaren the team always comes first and that is how it should be.
Alonso is a great talent whilst in the car but I have completely changed my view of the person outside it, what he did last year was plain nasty and was designed to hurt both Ron Dennis, McLaren and Lewis Hamilton.
None of us here should feel what we say should be tempered because of the attacks we may receive and maybe Ed should look at this a little bit closer if this is the case.
It's a shame Alonso did what he did as this year would have been magic if they were both still at McLaren as they would both be pushing each other beyond the limits.

Stella

[KoJ Finland]

Ed

You may have noticed that quiet a few are showing support for a Grand Prix in Finland, could I ask you to mention this to Mr Ecclestone next time you speak to him as it must be fair that we are at least given a chance with the success we have in F1 considering our tiny population (probably the most successful nation of all, maybe).

Thanks

Koj

[Felipe]

I want to thank those that can't let go and have yet again ruined another blog entry... some people will always have the last word... and now we will hear the same story again from the Spanish, and then the English will come back and point out how it's all Alonsos fault... and it's the same boring argument all over again...

Please let's move on and be able to comment rationally over this year's events.

[Jeff Bellamy]

I agree with Felipe that it's time to move on. Last year was extraordinary and nothing like it is going to happen again. As far as supporting drivers is concerned, the British are likely to support LH, Button and Coulthard and the Spanish will go for Alonso and so on. There's nothing wrong with that as long as it's good natured and doesn't get out of hand.
Whatever happened last year between Alonso, Hamilton and Ron Dennis was last year and is no one's business but their own. They're all grown men and for the rest of us it's time to move on.
I still think LH could pull a surprise in France and get himself onto the podium. As for Kubica, I'm not convinced that he or BMW can maintain the momentum, but I'm probably very wide of the mark.

[Richard]

Koj -

I've just done a search and it says Finland has a population of just over 5 million people. Is this actually correct?

If so, I think the country will have been the most successful in terms of world champions taking population into account. Having said that, if you count Scotland as a country, they could have Finland beaten. Jim Clark and Jackie Stewart won 5 titles between them, and Scotland has a lower population than Finland. Of course, if you add world rally titles as well, Finland wins it hands down!

[Juan H]

Yep, I think I am also pushing the reset button. Impossible to agree with each other (just look at the next thread on the press diner). But I am pretty sure of who is maintaining a balanced position among the people posting here (and who is not-naturally present in both Lewis' and Fernando's sites), and I am also totally convinced no one is blame-free in this story. What a minute! reset reset reset!

Now I go again for the 2008 championship!

[Henkka]

KOJ,
Are you sure that Helsinki would be the best place for the Finnish GP?

What about Rovaniemi at midsummer at midnight? The sun would be shining brightly and the insects would eat all the others than Kimi and Heikki (and Nico, perhaps).

My prediction:

1. Heikki (Kimi will see the bigger picture about Finnish success and press THE wrong button 30 metres before the chequered flag.)

2. Kimi

3. Robert (Poland may also be having a GP soon...)

IDR, sorry, the prediction of the Son is not available this time. The family is away and I'm all alone with my 17 inches... (laptop, of course)

Good race to everyone!

[KoJ-Finland]

Henkka
I said Helsinki as I have not yet met anyone who seems to know anywhere else in Finland and in any case it would need to be an all new track to match the current best and where better than the capital?
How about a new track being sponsored by Nokia in Nokia, the publicity for them would be awesome, as for the insects I think it would better to keep that one a secret.

[KoJ-Finland]

Richard

See https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/fi.html for all you would ever want to know about Finland (5,244,749 (July 2008 est.)

I do not think you can count Scotland as they ARE part of the UK (look at the CIA factbook). It seems that only the Scottish people see themselves as a separate country (well some of them at least).

I must admit it is a little strange why the Fins are so good at f1 is it just opportunity or is it a natural talent or our normal driving conditions? Or could it be we'd do anything for light in the winter and dark in the summer.

[Heini]

Last weekend was brilliant in rally. Mikko and Jari-Matti had one-two for Finns. Keeping my fingers crossed that Kimi and Heikki could do the same. It would be nice to see Robert in third (considering points) but if Ferrari gets fuel in Massa's car as they should he will probably take the last place at the podium.

And happy midsummer or hyvää juhannusta as we say for everyone. No work tomorrow and as I'm writing this its eigth in the evening and its still as bright outside as it would be in the early afternoon. If we could have F1 race there would be no problems with driving in natural ligth even if the race would be held in the evening :)

[IDR]

@HENKKA

It's a pity your son has not gave us any prediction, but I'm pretty sure he will put Kimi on Pole.

Nice to see you have 17 inches also. Shame on D he has only 15,4 :-)

(Talking always about Laptops, naturally!)

[Richard]

Koj -

I agree about Scotland, and they haven't had a champion for 35 years anyway!

I've always been led to believe that the reason Finnish drivers are so good is because they have to master difficult conditions from an early age, and so have a better feel for what the machinery is doing beneath them.

I'm a little concerned about Nokia sponsoring a GP though - they made less than EUR8 billion profit last year, so how could they afford to pay Bernie?!