Team orders - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

In motor racing, team orders is a motorsport

Motorsport

Motorsport or motorsports is the group of sports which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles, whether for racing or non-racing competition...

term for the practice of teams issuing instructions to drivers to deviate from the normal practice of racing against each other as they would against other teams' drivers. Prime examples of this were the team orders issued by Formula One

Formula One

Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...

teams to their drivers. This may involve instructing a driver to let his teammate overtake, or instructing both drivers to hold position in order to maintain a good position without the risk of collision.

This is generally done when one driver is behind in a particular race but ahead overall in a championship season. The team will then order their drivers to rearrange themselves on the track so as to give the championship points to the driver who needs them most. A good example was at the 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix

2007 Brazilian Grand Prix

The 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix was the seventeenth and last race of the 2007 Formula One season. It was held from 19 to October 21 at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace in São Paulo. The Championship was decided in the race, which was won by Kimi Räikkönen...

, with Ferrari

Scuderia Ferrari

Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....

's Felipe Massa

Felipe Massa

Felipe Massa is a Brazilian Formula One racing driver. He finished second in the Drivers' World Championship, and is under contract to race for Scuderia Ferrari until the end of the season.-Early years:...

in no position to win the Drivers' Championship or move up from fourth, so at the second pit stop he yielded the lead to teammate Kimi Räikkönen

Kimi Räikkönen

Kimi Matias Räikkönen , nicknamed Iceman, is a Finnish racing driver, who will drive in Formula One for Lotus in . After nine seasons racing in Formula One, in which he took the Formula One World Drivers' Championship, he competed in the World Rally Championship from 2009-2011.Räikkönen entered...

, who went on to win the race and take the title by just one point. The very next year at the Chinese Grand Prix

2008 Chinese Grand Prix

The 2008 Chinese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 19, 2008 at the Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai, China. It was the 17th and penultimate race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 56 laps, was won by Lewis Hamilton for the McLaren team after...

involving the same two drivers, Räikkönen wasn't in a position to win the title and moved over for Massa who was in position to win the title.

Another reason for team orders is where both drivers are in a position far ahead of the field, being all but assured of the win. Team orders are issued to prevent the drivers from racing each other; the aim is to have them drive cautiously in order to save fuel, reduce the chance of mechanical problems, and avoid a collision. This has happened on countless occasions in the history of the sport, sometimes causing great acrimony between the team and the second-placed driver. At the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix

1998 Belgian Grand Prix

The 1998 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on August 30, 1998, at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps; contested over 44 laps, it was the 13th race of the 1998 Formula One season. The race was won by Damon Hill driving for the Jordan team...

, when Ralf Schumacher

Ralf Schumacher

Ralf Schumacher is a German racing driver, and the younger brother of seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher...

was ordered not to overtake Damon Hill

Damon Hill

Damon Graham Devereux Hill OBE is a retired British racing driver. In 1996 Hill won the Formula One World Championship. As the son of the late Graham Hill, he is the only son of a world champion to win the title...

, in order to assure Jordan

Jordan Grand Prix

Jordan Grand Prix was a Formula One constructor that competed from 1991 to 2005. The team is named after Irish businessman and founder Eddie Jordan...

of a 1-2 finish.

Team Orders in F1

Such orders were legal and expected historically in motor racing. In the early years of the Formula One World Championship it was even legal for a driver to give up his car during the race to the team leader if his car had broken down. See the 1957 British Grand Prix

1957 British Grand Prix

The 1957 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 20 July 1957 at the Aintree Circuit, near Liverpool. It was the tenth British Grand Prix, and the fifth World Championship race of the 1957 Formula One season. The race was won by Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks, who shared driving...

, for example.

In the late 1990s incidents of team orders began to be reported more prominently by the media and public reaction to the more blatant examples of their use became extremely negative (See the 1997 European Grand Prix

1997 European Grand Prix

The 1997 European Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 26, 1997 at the Circuito Permanente de Jerez, Spain. Originally scheduled as the Grand Prix of Portugal at the Estoril circuit, it was moved when Estoril’s management had financial difficulties. It was the 17th and final...

and the 1998 Australian Grand Prix

1998 Australian Grand Prix

The 1998 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Albert Park street circuit in inner Melbourne on 8 March. It was the 63rd race in the combined history of the Australian Grand Prix that dates back to the 100 Miles Road Race of 1928...

). In contrast, the 1997 Japanese Grand Prix

1997 Japanese Grand Prix

The 1997 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 12, 1997 at the Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka. It was the 16th and penultimate race of the 1997 Formula One season. The race, contested over 53 laps, was won by Michael Schumacher for the Ferrari team after starting from...

saw a more sophisticated use of team orders, where Ferrari

Scuderia Ferrari

No. 2 Eddie Irvine

Eddie Irvine

Edmund "Eddie" Irvine, Jr. is a former racing driver from Northern Ireland. He grew up in Conlig, County Down, and was influenced by his parents, who were also involved in motor racing...

began the race light on fuel, allowing him to get ahead of the superior Williams-Renault cars and hold them up, to the benefit of Ferrari No. 1 Michael Schumacher

Michael Schumacher

Michael Schumacher is a German Formula One racing driver for the Mercedes GP team. Famous for his eleven-year spell with Ferrari, Schumacher is a seven-time World Champion and is widely regarded as the greatest F1 driver of all time...

.

Since the turn of the century, the most notorious incidents of team orders have tended to centre on Ferrari. At the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix

2002 Austrian Grand Prix

The 2002 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on May 12, 2002 at the A1-Ring. It was infamous for the "staged finish", where race leader Rubens Barrichello, who was running first, was ordered to allow Ferrari teammate Michael Schumacher to overtake him under "team orders" and win the...

, Rubens Barrichello

Rubens Barrichello

Rubens Gonçalves "Rubinho" Barrichello is a Brazilian Formula One racing driver. He is currently racing for Williams F1.Barrichello has scored the seventh highest points total in Formula One history. Barrichello drove for Ferrari from to , as Michael Schumacher's teammate, enjoying considerable...

was ordered to allow Ferrari

Scuderia Ferrari

teammate Michael Schumacher

Michael Schumacher

to pass in order to obtain the win. This received huge amounts of negative attention from spectators and media, as the order was issued shortly before both drivers crossed the finish line (the switch occurring within metres of the finish line), and as Barrichello had dominated the entire race weekend. Schumacher refused to take the top step of the podium, insisting Barrichello take it. As team orders were legal in 2002, the only punishment the team received was for the breach of podium procedure.

At the United States Grand Prix

2002 United States Grand Prix

The 2002 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on September 29, 2002 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana.-Summary:...

that year, there was further controversy as the Ferrari drivers allegedly manipulated the race result by switching positions in the final few metres of the race, giving Barrichello the win by the record smallest margin of 0.011 seconds. Though Schumacher had largely dominated the US Grand Prix, some suggested that he was returning the favour to Barrichello for forfeiting the Austrian win.
Subsequently after the 2002 season, "Team Orders that could influence the outcome of a race" were banned in F1 regulations, although they are sometimes still implemented discreetly. For example, this has sometimes been achieved as easily as a team getting on the radio to the slower driver and pointing out that his teammate is quicker. The slower driver then lets the quicker driver through without the need for an overt "directive" from the team.

However a few years later at the 2005 United States Grand Prix

2005 United States Grand Prix

The 2005 United States Grand Prix was one of the most controversial Formula One motor races in modern history. It was held on June 19, 2005 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was the ninth race of the 2005 Formula One season. Out of 20 cars entered for the race, only the six cars from the teams...

, Schumacher

Michael Schumacher

was being challenged for the lead by Barrichello

Rubens Barrichello

but the two were ordered to preserve their cars to the end of the race and settle into a steady pace. This effectively meant that Barrichello wasn't able to challenge Schumacher and assured Schumacher's and Ferrari's

Scuderia Ferrari

only victory of the season. But whether this was favouritism towards Schumacher or just a cautious approach to an easy victory is debatable.

At the 2010 German Grand Prix

2010 German Grand Prix

The 2010 German Grand Prix was the eleventh round of the 2010 Formula One season. It was held in Hockenheim, Germany on 25 July 2010. The race was won by Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso after Felipe Massa controversially slowed to let Alonso through into the lead on lap 49...

, Ferrari again caused controversy when Felipe Massa

Felipe Massa

's race engineer was heard to say to his driver "Fernando (Alonso)

Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso Díaz is a Spanish Formula One racing driver and a two-time World Champion, who is currently racing for Ferrari....

is faster than you. Can you confirm you understand that message?". Moments later, Massa visibly eased back and allowed Alonso past. As team orders were banned, the team was fined $100,000. At a further hearing, the FIA imposed no further punishment, but conceded that the rule needed to be reviewed.
As of 2011 the team orders rule no longer appears in the sporting regulations, but it is still controversial, as in the 2011 British Grand Prix

2011 British Grand Prix

The 2011 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race, held on 10 July 2011, at the Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire, England, and won by Fernando Alonso....

, Red Bull Racing

Red Bull Racing

Red Bull Racing is a Formula One racing team based in Milton Keynes, England which currently holds an Austrian licence. It is, along with Scuderia Toro Rosso, one of two teams owned by beverage company Red Bull GmbH. The team have won two Constructors' Championship titles, in and , becoming the...

driver Mark Webber

Mark Webber

Mark Alan Webber is an Australian Formula One driver.After some racing success in Australia, Webber moved to the United Kingdom in 1995 to further his motorsport career...

was in 3rd place, and was told via radio to "maintain the gap" between him and Sebastian Vettel

Sebastian Vettel

Sebastian Vettel is a German Formula One racing driver, currently driving for Red Bull Racing. He is the current World Champion, having won the championship in and ....

, of which Webber ignored. This has revived the debate of if team orders have a place in Formula One.

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