Formula 1 driver turned BBC television pundit David Coulthard has expressed his shock at some of the reactions to Sunday’s German Grand Prix and, furthermore, insists that the ‘ludicrous’ ban on team orders should be removed from the sporting regulations.
With Ferrari having implied that Felipe Massa should ease out of the lead, thus allowing team-mate Fernando Alonso to win at Hockenheim, many have argued across the internet that fans were deprived of the chance to see an equal race. Coulthard shared opinions via his regular column for The Telegraph.
“Now just hear me out,” he began. “I know that what we saw at Hockenheim on Sunday, when Felipe Massa was ordered aside for Fernando Alonso, was unpalatable to many fans but for goodness sake, wake up and smell the coffee.
“Team orders happen in F1. They always have and they always will. Just because Ferrari were ham-fisted in breaking the rules, does it make their transgression any worse? I cannot believe some of the hypocrisy we’ve heard in the past couple of days.
“The only way to stop team orders would be to race with one car. As long as there are two (and some teams want three — how difficult would it be then to control team orders?) the rule is unenforceable.”
The Scot went on to stress that instructions are given to competitors in a variety of sports. “Like the Tour de France, which is all about getting the team leader across the line first,” he continued. “Like a football team, who can sometimes sacrifice a player to man-mark a member of the opposition in order to give his striker room to score.
“Like any team sport, in fact, the manager must be free to decide how best to manage his team. The players involved are free to obey or disobey — often the best sportsmen are not team players — but they do so at their own risk. That is all part of the delicate and unique team-driver relationship.”
Australia 1998: At the first race of the season, Coulthard yields to McLaren team-mate Mika Häkkinen due to a first-corner agreement:
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