By Parminio
June 26 2002

Ferrari, Rubens and Shumi were jointly fined One Million U.S. Dollars for their exploits on the podium at Austria. Some would say that this is no more than a slap on the wrist. Ferrari, Rubens and Shumi were jointly fined One Million U.S. Dollars for their exploits on the podium at Austria. Some would say that this is no more than a slap on the wrist. However, when one actually thinks about it, it is a rather crushing penalty. What if it had been Arrows or Minardi?
To be honest, I find the fine excessive. We all know that Michael could pay the fine out of his petty cash drawer but that isn't the issue. The issue is would the fine be that high had it been a lesser financed team? The answer is no. I am on the record as saying that I figured a 10 or 20 thousand dollar fine for each of the drivers would have been ample. An appology to the Austrian officials would have been a good addition to that penalty as well. A million bucks?! That's a bit much I think.