Eric Boullier is surprised that Vettel was not penalized
The incident that took place between Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber in Sepang continues to divide opinion. For some, the triple German world champion was right to overtake his teammate to seek victory and not submit to his team's instructions. For others, his behavior was unacceptable and deserved a penalty. Lotus team director, Eric Boullier, is part of the latter group.
Following the events that took place in Sepang between the two Red Bull drivers, where Sebastian Vettel disobeyed team orders to snatch victory from Mark Webber, the reaction from several figures in the Formula 1 world was swift. The latest to comment, Eric Boullier, does not understand why Vettel was not sanctioned by his team: « We must not forget that drivers are paid to work for us and for our company. I don’t see many people in the world who would disobey their company without being sanctioned, or at least without giving a clear explanation for their disobedience. »
Eric Boullier speaks from experience and emphasizes that the situation would have been different if it had occurred at Lotus: « One of our drivers is famous for doing pretty much whatever he wants, but when you have 600 people behind you, there is a certain respect you must have for your team. The adrenaline and excitement of winning a race can cause this kind of situation. But I think in Formula 1, it shouldn’t happen. »
On the other hand, for the French, it is incomprehensible that a team is already giving orders at this stage of the season: « We should not see team orders so early in the season. The championship is still at an early stage. When this happens, you need to address the issue, and do so quickly. »
Team orders have always been a very controversial topic in Formula 1, particularly during Michael Schumacher’s era at Ferrari. The 2002 Austrian Grand Prix is often cited as an example to demonstrate the absurdity of this type of approach because, during this race, Rubens Barrichello, who was well ahead, had to let his leader Michael Schumacher pass and surrender the victory to him. Following this widely publicized incident, team orders were banned for a time before being allowed once again.
