Horner receives support from Coulthard and Lauda

As if a single controversy wasn’t enough to stir up the last British Grand Prix, the instructions given by Red Bull to Mark Webber not to attack his teammate in the final laps of the race became a subject of controversy, which led the Austrian team’s boss to defend himself even on the BBC’s post-Grand Prix show. This happened despite the fact that team orders have not been formally banned since the Hockenheim 2010 precedent, as long as they do not harm the image of Formula One, a subtle nuance that the FIA may one day need to clarify if they choose to.

« Of course, it was tough. You know, it was a difficult Grand Prix, we had issues with Mark’s front wheel, we encountered a jack problem with Sebastian, and when both of them find themselves towards the end of the race… We were second and third, in front of the whole team, with a lot of constructor points to gain, with Sebastian a bit ahead and Mark second in the drivers’ championship, it made absolutely no sense to let them fight at the risk of ending up in the wall. My job is to ensure we do what’s best for the team, that’s exactly what we are: a team » justified Christian Horner, before receiving applause from Eddie Jordan, who was present in the studio.

Damon Hill, however, wanted to defend the drivers’ point of view: « It would have been sad if it ended with a collision between Sebastian and Mark, but I have to speak for the drivers, I know Christian has a job to do, but I think drivers have a license, they have the right to race when they want and it’s their decision whether they can maneuver on their teammate without sending them into the wall or not. I think fans want to see battles on the track, so I think there should be discussions in the sport on how to manage that because I understand the investment, the commitment, and the work done, but you can’t prevent drivers from fighting each other. »

I remember seeing you behind Jacques Villeneuve for several laps in Melbourne a few years ago, you were in exactly the same situation, whether in front or behind him then retorted the Team Principal of the Austrian team revealing that a similar order had already been given by his team during the Turkish Grand Prix in 2009, but this time in reverse: It happened two years ago in Turkey when exactly the same thing happened with Sebastian. It was clear that neither was going to give in […] and, as we saw with Massa and Hamilton, in the last corner, it makes no sense, from the team’s point of view, to allow them to keep fighting in the final laps.

Christian Horner also revisited the case of the Istanbul Grand Prix last season where, wanting to overtake Mark Webber for the lead, Sebastian Vettel collided with his teammate: « Istanbul is different, it was much earlier in the race, we let them race. On Sunday, we also let them fight until a point where we said: “OK, that’s enough! »

In his column for the British newspaper The Telegraph, David Coulthard, who still acts as a consultant for the Austrian team, agrees with Christian Horner: « My opinion on team orders is quite simple and boils down to two points: yes, they should be legal because you can’t stop teams from imposing them, and it’s just a matter of knowing when it becomes reasonable to give orders. I think that one or two laps from the end of the British Grand Prix, the home race for the team based in Milton Keynes, and with only three points at stake in the battle for second place, it was the right time. I also thought Ferrari was right to give Massa team orders at Hockenheim last summer when the Brazilian was more or less out of the title race. »

The Scot also explains that Formula One is currently at the heart of a dilemma that pits the interests of teams—and sponsors—against those of drivers and spectators attending the races: « The problem is that there is too much business in Formula One for it to be a sport, and too much sport for it to be a business. You can’t expect a team with multi-million sponsorship contracts to risk losing valuable points at this stage of the race. »

Also invited to comment on the subject by Motorsport-magazin.com, Niki Lauda also defended the decision of the Red Bull Racing boss: « I can perfectly understand why Horner made this decision, simply because he was worried about his two cars. I’m okay with it. »

To those who still wonder if Red Bull’s decision would have been the same if Vettel had been in Webber’s place, and vice versa, David Coulthard assures, in good faith: « I also think that Red Bull would have imposed team orders on Vettel if the situation had been reversed, and, no, I’m not saying that because of my relationship with them. »