*** Ferrari: "For the avoidance of doubt, Ferrari deems it useful to
clarify its position in respect of the exclusion of its two cars on the
occasion of the last Grand Prix in Malaysia. Ferrari understands that
the Stewards of the race, considering the very little time available and
the information at their disposal, had little choice but to exclude the
cars from the race results.
"Ferrari would however like to stress that the alleged irregularity,
if any, is entirely accidental and occurred in total good faith. Ferrari
has now made in-depth tests in a wind tunnel in the presence of
independent experts, which confirm that the turning vanes used in
Malaysia have made no difference whatsoever to the performance of its cars.
"The sport result achieved by Ferraris cars and drivers on the
occasion of the race have accordingly not been biased by the facts that
have triggered their exclusion, and Ferrari is confident that it will be
able to prove it conclusively on the occasion of the Friday hearing in
front of the Court of Appeal, for which it has the highest respect."
[Egad! I wonder who did the translation? -- BB]
*** McLaren: "Whilst we understand the sympathy and requests for
leniency that some people have expressed, the fact that the outcome of
the Malaysian Grand Prix can decide this years World Championship is irrelevant.
"The more important the outcome of a race, the more important it is
that the rules are applied consistently and fairly in accordance with
the procedures, which have been strictly adhered to in the past.
-------------------
One has to wonder how these statements would have read had the
circumstances been reversed -- McLaren has certainly had its share of
"iffy" rulebending in the recent past.
What fun!
BB