“The rule must change” is the current motto

After this race weekend that, beyond the results, writes a new page in the dark history of F1, numerous people within the F1 Circus are speaking out to demand change.

In the front line, we find the quirky former team owner, Eddie Jordan. Today, as an F1 consultant for the BBC, he acknowledges that the rule prohibiting teams from giving race orders that would alter the final result must be abandoned. Jordan states: “It’s nonsense… It must be repealed.”

Following the German Grand Prix, Ferrari was fined $100,000 for issuing a coded order to Felipe Massa to let Fernando Alonso overtake him. Alonso was then able to win the race.

The rule being debated today was introduced in 2002 after Rubens Barrichello handed the victory to Michael Schumacher on the Austrian A1 Ring circuit. Jean Todt, Ferrari’s director, had clearly ordered the Brazilian driver to let the Red Baron win, without even using coded language.

The attitude of Ferrari at Hockenheim is highly criticized. Some team officials, such as Christian Horner at Red Bull, speak out against this race incident, condemning the nature and the essence of the order given to Massa: « It’s the most blatant team order I’ve ever seen, especially when you hear a team making excuses to its driver… It’s a great shame for Formula 1, the race was manipulated to offer victory to one driver at the expense of another… The only losers today are the Formula 1 fans. »

On his side, Martin Whitmarsh, the head of McLaren, is considering organizing private talks with Ferrari to give his viewpoint on the incident. Refusing to openly comment on the actions of the rival team, he nonetheless stated that for McLaren, Hamilton and Button would remain free in racing, free to compete on the track. Whitmarsh did make a typically British comment: “The Ferraris were fast, and we did what we could. They raced as they raced. It wasn’t a new approach for Ferrari, was it?”

Button added that he was worried to see Ferrari using such a method so early in the season: « Personally, I think team orders are not good in F1, as in all categories of motorsport, although sometimes they are inevitable… We all want to win, and I know that every team wants to win everything, whether it’s the constructors’ championship or the drivers’ championship. But teams must give both of their drivers the opportunity to do so. It was too early in the season. One can wonder when this will start in the future »

For Mike Gascoyne, the technical director of Lotus Racing, Ferrari should have made more efforts to disguise the instructions given to Massa: « In the end, if you are going to do it, then you have to do it with much more intelligence than that. Naturally, it’s a team sport and you have to achieve the best result for the team, especially when you are at the front of the race, fighting for a championship. But it’s clear that fans feel cheated because when you act like that, it’s simply ridiculous. »

For his part, the seven-time world champion, Michael Schumacher, who was also at the center of a similar scandal in 2002, expressed his support for his former team.

On a disciplinary level, in addition to the fine imposed, which corresponds to the maximum amount the stewards can decide, Scuderia will be summoned by the FIA. A meeting is scheduled before the end of the week. The FIA is the supreme authority with the power to impose additional penalties, such as a points deduction or a race ban.

In response to the criticism, Ferrari insisted that the incident at Hockenheim was “a decision by the drivers.” However, the Italian team chose not to appeal the fine imposed.

Eddie Jordan, who admitted to regularly giving race orders within his Jordan Grand Prix team, says he is furious that Ferrari broke the 2002 rule: Every team deals with race orders, but today it’s all a bit more disguised, camouflaged… However, fundamentally the regulations need to be clarified. This must be debated at the world council… At Ferrari, they probably thought they were above the rules but yesterday, they discovered they were not… Ferrari thinks the best way to win the championship is to have Alonso as the main driver. What was done is nonsense, and the way they managed this situation was appalling.

With this victory, Alonso finds himself fifth, 34 points behind the championship leader, Lewis Hamilton, who has 157 points. The reigning champion, Jenson Button, is second with 143 points, while the two Red Bull drivers, Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel, are tied for third place with 136 points.

The question of revising the regulation is inevitable. Several solutions are possible:

Expand the scope of the rule by analyzing radio conversations. Ban coded orders and impose immediate exemplary sanctions: Point deductions, Cancellation of team bonuses and rewards, Suspensions…

2/ Allow team instructions within a defined framework, especially in the last 5 or 10 laps of the race. With the obligation to communicate clearly and understandably.

3/ Accept team instructions without restriction and limits. The only obligation would again be to communicate in a clear and understandable manner. However, overtaking between teammates under instructions would be penalized:

– soit en temps, secondes retirées au pilote avantagé.

– soit en diminution du régime moteur du pilote avantagé sur une période donnée ( 1 tour ou 2 avec un RPM réduit). Ce procédé serait géré par la direction de course, indépendamment des écuries.

This race incident fuels controversy, but beyond the simple fact, the FIA is aware that its decision could shape the future. Indeed, either Ferrari is heavily sanctioned, which should calm the paddock and make everyone consider the risks of such practice. Or Ferrari gets away without too much damage, which would leave the door open to other team orders, allowing everyone to refer to this precedent.

The governing bodies of motorsport as well as the relevant F1 authorities maintain very strong ties with Ferrari. Isn’t the Scuderia the team that receives the most significant “gratuity” bonus? This famous bonus granted to the historic teams of F1 is reported to be 20 million dollars per season for the Italian team. It should also be noted that the president of the FIA is none other than Jean Todt, the former director of the Scuderia.

At the end of the week a decision should be announced. The only thing that needs to be taken into account is the spectators, the fans, and all those people who love F1. If this sport is the pinnacle, it must forget no one.

Below, a brief history of various team orders incidents in F1:

– Jerez 1997 McLaren: David Coulthard laisse passé Mika Hakkinen qui gagne

– Australie 1998 McLaren: David Coulthard laisse passé Mika Hakkinen qui gagne

– Belgique 1998 Jordan: Ralf Schumacher est contraint de ne pas attaquer Damon Hill pour la tête de course

– Autriche 2002 Ferrari: Rubens Barrichello doit laisser la victoire à Michael Schumacher

– Monaco 2007 McLaren: Lewis Hamilton est contraint de ne pas attaquer Fernando Alonso pour la victoire

– Brésil 2007 Ferrari: Une gestion étrange du pit stop de Felipe Massa permet à Kimi Räikkönen de prendre la tête

– Allemagne 2008 McLaren: Une erreur de tactique voit Heikki Kovalainen dépassé par Hamilton afin qu’il puisse gagner la course

– Singapour 2008 Renault: Nelson Piquet percute le mur afin de faire sortir la voiture de sécurité ce qui offre la victoire à Alonso

– Chine 2008 Ferrari: Räikkönen récupère la deuxième place de Massa ce qui lui donne une meilleure position au championnat afin de se battre avec Hamilton.