Ide ’unlikely’ to race at Nurburgring
The struggling rookie driver, already warned by Super Aguri bosses to up his game, sent an irate Christijan Albers' 'MF1' into a barrel-roll at Imola — an indiscretion that earned him a formal reprimand from the stewards.
They ruled that 31-year-old Ide had caused the shunt, warning him of the 'possible effect of incurring a second' slap.
Added to his extreme lack of pace and erratic on-track style, a movement of opposition to Ide's mere presence on the grid has now widened. Former triple world champion Niki Lauda told 'RTL' TV at Imola that the sport's bigwigs should consider suspending his superlicense.
''It is not making formula one look good,'' the Austrian told Germany's F1 broadcaster, probably also riled by Ide's reluctance to accept the blame for his error.
Responding to Albers' charge of over-aggressiveness, he said: ''I don't think I was pushing too hard. Albers was the one on the racing line and I could not avoid his car.''
England's 'Times' newspaper, however, summed up the mood of the F1 paddock, reporting that Ide is 'unlikely to be in Germany at the next race'.