25/05/2011
NEWS STORY
Maranello's legendary Horse Whisperer has broken cover again, this time to take an unnamed journalist to task.
"If there's one thing that gets the Horse Whisperer whipped into a lather it's lies," he admits on the Ferrari website. "One can have a difference of opinion, one can have heated debate, one can smile at seeing spies where there are none, or laugh at those who try and get in touch with the spirit world every other day, but when lies are being bandied about then the Whisperer cannot let it go.
"He tried, giving himself twenty four hours to reflect on the matter, but in the end he could not keep it in," the Whisperer continues. "Someone in Spain, maybe suffering a touch of heat stroke, made up some piece of science-fiction concerning an assumed discussion in the pits reckoned to have taken place on Saturday afternoon after qualifying, between Stefano Domenicali and the President of the Santander Bank, Emilio Botin. Unfortunately for the journalist in question, who one should add was not actually present at the Catalunya Circuit, nor is he a frequent visitor to the race tracks, not only is the story itself false, but so too is the context in which it was told.
"If there is one relationship which is going full steam ahead it's the one between the Prancing Horse and Santander, one of the Scuderia's main partners and you can go and get the same reply from representatives of the Bank. Those who hope to stir up trouble hither and thither should therefore calm down and maybe consider a bit of fact checking with those concerned before putting pen to paper."
Pitpass contacted Ferrari curious to discover who exactly that naughty old Horse Whisperer is rearing up and kicking out at, however, the Italian team would not be drawn. "He kicks wherever he wants, wherever there is people saying lies," said a source.
However, a quick search revealed that the object of the Whisperer's anger is Raul Romojaro of AS, the Spanish sports paper. His claims that Botin had enjoyed a heated exchange with Domenicali subsequently picked up by the usual suspects.