Unsurprisingly, the hot topic of conversation in the Shanghai paddock at the start of the weekend was the sudden departure of Stefano Domenicali and the identity of his replacement, Ferrari sales star Marco Mattiacci. Domenicali's departure not only destroyed the team principals round of the popular press room pastime 's**g, marry, kill', but also marks the end of the era of the nice guys in Formula One. Which isn't to say that there aren't still nice people in the sport – the Piranha Club it may be, but the F1 paddock is still a friendly place – but the likes of Domenicali and his McLaren counterpart Martin Whitmarsh have both disappeared, while Ron Dennis and Luca di Montezemolo have...
Full Story »