Team Orders
May 30th 2007 00:51
Alonso celebrates his win
Team boss Ron Dennis admitted after the race to telling his drivers to “cool it” during the final stint, to allow Fernando Alonso to finish ahead of Lewis Hamilton.
According to the Guardian, British rookie, Lewis Hamilton was furious at not being allowed to pressure teammate Alonso in the final run to the flag, reportedly ranting and swearing over his radio.
It was at this point when Ron Dennis himself stepped in to tell Hamilton to hold station behind the Spaniard, which, according to the FIA, breaches article 151c of the Code.
OK, time to editorialise.
If the FIA do find McLaren guilty of this, and end up fining or worse, stripping them of their points, then they are setting a very, very dangerous precedent.
Team orders are nothing new in F1, and the only reason article 151c was enacted was in reaction to the infamous 2003 Austrian Grand Prix when Rubens Barrichello conceded an easy win to Michael Schumacher.
That drew immense criticism unto Ferrari, and fans and journalists were unrelenting in their tirades about such acts being ‘unsporting’ and ‘disgraceful’.
Mind you, not team nor driver was punished at that point, and no team has been since.
Ever since the FIA declared punishment for any ‘team orders’, team strategies and communications have simply involved less direct means of keeping their drivers under reins, either by using code words, or by asking the driver to conserve tyres or fuel.
Of course, this is unconfirmed, but ask any paddock regular if this is the case, and has been ever since Austria 2003, they will agree.
This years Monaco GP attracted the interest of the FIA after Dennis came out at admitted to telling his drivers to hold position.
Dennis is unrepentant, "Team strategy is what you bring to bear to win a grand prix; team orders are what you bring to bear to manipulate a grand prix," the McLaren team boss argued. "We do not, and have not, manipulated grands prix unless there are some exceptional circumstances."
So Dennis is saying one thing but the FIA are investigating another, so lets look at article 151c of the Code, which is what McLaren could potentially be found guilty of breaching.
It states the illegality of 'any fraudulent conduct, or any act prejudicial to the interests of any competition, or to the interests of motorsport generally.'
It is very vague.
At what point is an order 'prejudicial'? at what point during a race can a team instruct their drivers?
Does it only apply within one team? what if Hamilton was chasing another car and told to 'cool it'?, is that still an illegal team order?
And what exactly are the interests of “motorsport generally”? Racing tactically and intelligently according to the track? Or simply letting the drivers go, risking everything?
Dennis referred to ‘exceptional circumstances,’ and the streets of Monte Carlo are such circumstances.
Hamilton was kissing barriers left and right, and was looking like he could bin it at any time.
Dennis was not about to risk seeing his protégé plant it in the wall as he tried futilely to hunt down and pass his teammate.
McLaren were acting in the interests of self-preservation.
Monaco is, as we all know, not an easy place to overtake in, but it is an easy place to make a race-ending mistake in.
If the FIA rule on this against McLaren, there will be an enormous precedent set, and one that will see almost every result where two team cars finish one after the other come into question.
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