Surprised, De la Rosa regrets Red Bull’s directives

In his column for the site formulasantander.com, Pedro de la Rosa, third driver for McLaren-Mercedes and one of the flag bearers for Santander, which sponsors the British team and Scuderia Ferrari, reflects on the recent British Grand Prix won by Fernando Alonso. We have reasons to rejoice because the two Red Bulls were not just beaten, they were overwhelmed by Fernando’s racing pace, which was infinitely superior to all his rivals. Perhaps it was the most convincing victory since the beginning of the season on a circuit that seemed made for Red Bull. The problem during Vettel’s pit stop and the need for Red Bull to issue team orders to protect their No. 1 lead us to believe that a comeback no longer relies on a miracle, it’s possible, difficult but possible.

The Spanish driver, who participated in the Canadian Grand Prix, replacing Sérgio Perez, admits his astonishment at the instructions given by the Austrian team to Mark Webber so that he would not attack his teammate. « I cannot deny my surprise to see that at only the ninth race of the season, instructions were given by Red Bull, the team comfortably leading the championship and having always prided itself on letting its drivers fight until the finish, as they did last year when Webber was leading the championship and Vettel was taking points from him until the end. »

But Pedro de la Rosa is not so much criticizing the instructions themselves as their timing. « I have nothing against team orders. It seems fair to me that they have been legalized because all drivers, at one time or another, have received, accepted, and executed orders in a more or less discreet manner. But during the ninth race, when your driver has almost double the points of the second and your second driver has secured pole position, it seems a bit early to me. »

This decision would primarily confirm the status of the Australian driver as the No. 2 and reduce the chances of Fernando Alonso and the McLaren drivers to compete with Sebastian Vettel. If they give orders to Webber from the ninth race, even when he starts from pole position, they’ll do no less when he starts from tenth place. The worst part is thinking they won’t let Webber take points from Vettel, greatly compromising Fernando’s and the two McLaren drivers’ ambitions in the battle for the drivers’ title, the Spaniard laments.

Despite everything, De la Rosa remains optimistic for the two Santander partner teams, especially after the FIA’s reversal on the regulations regarding diffuser blowing. « Maybe this return to the Valencia regulations is interpreted by Red Bull as a victory for them, bringing them closer to the title, but believe me, it’s a good decision that should open up the end of the season and is probably the only opportunity to bring some life into this world championship, now that Red Bull has laid all their cards on the table. There is no doubt that there can be a comeback in this world championship, but only if there are two teams capable of taking points from Red Bull. »