Ferrari head praises team

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo yesterday praised his team for winning the world constructors' title, but accused McLaren…

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo yesterday praised his team for winning the world constructors' title, but accused McLaren of being "bad losers" in Malaysia.

He also said that Mika Hakkinen deserved to win the drivers' title and renewed his faith in his under-fire team boss Jean Todt, whose sacking had been called for in the Italian press.

Reviewing the season, which ended in defeat in Suzuka, Montezemolo said Ferrari were worthy winners of their championship and that only Michael Schumacher's poor start to the Japanese Grand Prix denied them both titles.

But he was clearly still bitter about Ferrari's one-two finish in Malaysia, which was followed on the day by a double disqualification, later lifted on appeal in Paris.

READ MORE

McLaren believed at Sepang that the cars were not regular and also complained at the appeal success.

"I didn't like the McLaren attitude," he said. "It was anti-sporting by people who are bad losers."

Outlining why Ferrari hadn't lifted the sport's highest award, he said simply that Hakkinen deserved it for being faster than Eddie Irvine.

But he paid tribute to the Ulsterman's commitment, saying that Irvine had turned in his best performance since joining the team in 1996.

Meanwhile, Jackie Stewart has criticised the decision to switch the British Grand Prix from its traditional mid-season date to April for next year.

The three-time former world champion believes the Silverstone event should have stayed in July.

The British Grand Prix will take place on Easter Sunday, April 23rd, next year on the 17-race calendar issued last week by Formula One chiefs with Austria taking the mid-July date.

"It's highly unusual and I cannot understand why the British Grand Prix is now in April," said Stewart, whose team he sold to Ford earlier this year will be renamed Jaguar Racing for 2000.