One big family - Hockenheim 2010
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There will no doubt be a lot of media chatter today and in the short break before we arrive in Hungary about what happened in today’s German Grand Prix. I don’t want to go on too much, as there’ll no doubt be a million articles like this, so I will keep it short.
I won’t debate the merits of whether it was the right decision, because of course Fernando is ahead in the championship and the team’s considered best shot for the title. I’d wager Felipe could fight for it too, but as we’re into the second half of the season, the team has to make a choice.
Here’s the thing, though. Team orders have always been a part of Formula 1, but that doesn’t make it any more comfortable to witness when they are played out in such blatant fashion.
We know it goes on in code over the radio, via “botched” pitstops or preferential treatment for one driver over another, but we also all thought, or rather hoped, that the regulations had been changed to stop this kind of thing from happening so blatantly on track; to stop teams from manipulating the race in a style that short changed F1′s billions of fans around the world. They had, but this time it didn’t work and Ferrari is set to feel the wrath not only of the World Motor Sport Council, but of this sport’s global, passionate and very vocal fanbase.
Ferrari will, and is, claiming innocence in the affair.
But I ask you this. If the team felt it had done things by the book, why the need for the shambolic post podium podium? Why did Stefano Domenicali (in whom I will admit I have huge respect), see it necessary to drag his drivers, one of whom clearly did not wish to be there under such circumstances, onto the top step of the podium to share the win?
And why, in the post race TV scrums, was Felipe Massa in posession of the winning driver’s Bridgestone cap, clearly marked with “1st”?
In one moment with that laughable podium show of “unity” Ferrari showed the world just how embarrassed it was about what it had done to its driver and to its fans. That one moment simply oozed with an overwhelming sense of guilt.
Remind you of anything?
Rubens Barrichello lifts the winner's trophy after team orders robbed him of victory - Austria 2002
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Nice piece Will, good you’re not afraid to call a spade a spade.
How on Earth WSC could prevent it?..
Today was completely ridiculous, I turned off in protest
What is your point? I don’t get what you are trying to say? Of course team orders exist, do you really think Ferrari could just come out and admit it when it is against the rulebook? If Rob Smedley had shown an ounce of discretion then everyone would have just held there noses but tactless Rob blew this into a major issue.
Steven
You are right. Just as Webber blew the lid on Red Bull favouring Vettel both in Turkey and Britain with his comments, so Rob Smedley’s tone in his radio messages and Felipe’s blatant slowing down on the straight has blown this issue into clear view. Perhaps racers are getting too clever for their own good! lol. By making things so public, they draw our attention to it, cause a fuss and potentially eliminate the chance of it happening again.
The point I was making in the blog piece was that the farcical post podium podium didn’t help matters. If anything it compounded the team’s implicit guilt. Because if they had nothing to feel bad about, why make such a public demonstration?
Mr. Smedely’s mouth and EGO really hurt the team today. Massa was not the team player he was in Brasil 2007. He and his engineer did it in a way to inflict damage to their employer.
Mark
Smedley’s ego? Really? More like his loyalty to his driver. If it were not for Alonso’s “ridiculous” ego, this regretful situation would never have occurred.
Love the death-pinch hold on Massa’s collar-bone!
The big question for me is “who gave the order?” — because I don’t think it was at all expected or prepared, otherwise everyone would have been ready to execute it subtly and keep a happy face afterwards. We saw Domenicali talking on the phone to El Presidente later (Montezemolo, I assume, or was it Napolitano?)… relevant?
Everybody knows Ferrari is lying, and everybody knows they will deny it to the death. Likewise, everybody knows team orders have been around forever in F1.
None of this, however, makes things right. There are many rules in F1, some of them going against the attractiveness of the show, some others going against potential car performance. Regardless, the rules are there to be followed and Ferrari are not following the rules.
The really sad part is that the WMSC will probably do nothing really significant about it. I will be greatly surprised if they disqualify Ferrari from the race, which is what they should do. This lack of consequences for breaking the rules is what has led the teams to break them ever more blatantly.
As for the stewards’ fine, that’s laughable. $100,000 is pocket money for these teams, just as the $1M fine was when Schumacher and Barrichello “broke protocol” in 2002.
Such blatant disregard for the anti-team order regulation. No points penalty for this? After all, Ferrari has the funds to pay $100K in fines for Every Race if it gets 25 points for Alonso. This only fuel for the “F1 means Ferrari First” crowd.
Total bs. If I’m Massa, I keep P1 and if Alonso passes by racing into position then fine. Don’t yield, win the race myself, then suffer the consequences later. Alonso did not deserve to win and Massa doesn’t deserve to be treated like that by Ferrari. You won’t see these politics playing out in Indycar or NASCAR series.
Will, unfortunately those of us who only got to see the FOX delayed broadcast didn’t see the scene on the podium. I had to view the BBC playback online to see that.
I think Steven had it right concerning how Smedley gave the info to Massa. All so “wink wink, nudge nudge, say no more!” You’re right though that perhaps it will get Smedley into hot water but it will probably serve to dissuade the team from making the same move again soon.
I also agree with Andy – how can you enforce the rule? I don’t think much can be done but eliminate the rule and allow team orders. Obviously it happens whether they write a rule against it or not. Let the teams decide if the stink of it is something they want to have on their image.
That delayed FOX broadcast sucked, as all of their broadcasts have. They didn’t even show the press conference. Thank God we go back to Speed next race.
I would dare say that Rob Smedley’s tone was quite on purpose because he REALLY didn’t like the team order given to him in the first place.
on a side note; really Ferrari? With a half billion$$ budget you don’t have a more subtle code phrase to use on public airwaves? really?
Well said Will. Short and to the point. I love your work on the SPEED broadcasts and how you immediately voiced your disappointment right after Alonso’s so called pass. Ferrari has cut off its’ nose to spite its’ face.
Like your work on SPEED!
So does this mean that for the rest of the season, whenever Alonso comes up to Massa from behind, that Massa has to let him pass?
Seems Alonso has an unfair advantage over the rest of the field if so.
First of all, THANK the DEAR LORD no more Races on FOX here in the States!!
Team orders are a reality. That is the fact.
I think R. Smedley was letting Massa and the World know he supported Massa.
I believe Massa did the right thing as an employee of Ferrari. That said. He should have then taken the race to Alonso right after the pass was finished. Made Alonso
Win it out right.