Angry tifosi have made a plea to the Catholic priest in Maranello not to forgive Ferrari team boss Jean Todt. Angry hackers have also hacked into Ferrari websites around the globe.
Angry tifosi have, in the aftermath of the Austrian Grand Prix, made a plea to the Catholic priest in Maranello to not forgive Ferrari team boss Jean Todt. Angry hackers have also hacked into Ferrari websites and forced some of them to shut down.
The parish priest whose patch includes the Maranello base of the Ferrari F1 team said his parishioners had told him not to forgive team manager Jean Todt for the team order that forced Brazilian driver Rubens Barrichello to concede victory to Michael Schumacher.
Father Alberto Bernardoni, parish priest at the Maranello base of the world champion stable, told Corriere della Sera newspaper that he had been besieged by angry parishioners since Todt ordered the Brazilian to slow down in the last corner of the Austrian Grand Prix and allow world champion Schumacher to win the race.
"They have been calling all morning," said the priest, who always rings the church bells in celebration when Ferrari wins a Grand Prix. "There are some asking me not to forgive Todt if he comes to make a confession."
"It’s worse than a defeat," said Bernardoni. "We are all full of bitterness. On Sunday I will ring the bells – but for Barrichello, who was the true victor in Austria."
Ferrari-supporting computer geeks have turned to cyber sabotage to bring their point across. Autowired.com reported that hackers penetrated the Ferrari Group’s official website and left a message objecting to Sunday’s Grand Prix decision.
The decision incensed many Internet F1 fans, who – like CARtoday.com readers – posted their views on Ferrari’s tactics on discussion forums throughout cyberspace.
One group, calling itself S4t4n1c_Souls, left a message on the site which read: ‘BARRICHELLO ROX FERRARI SUX’.
This caused the site to be shut down temporarily. Similarly, a group of Brazilian fans hacked into Ferrari’s Japanese site and posted: “Silver Lords was here. Silver Lords Ownz You! Brazil #1 (with a clear reference to Rubens Barrichello’s nationality) at least in defacements…” on the homepage.