The words ‘Team Orders’ is always looked at with disdain
when it comes to Formula One. Team order controversies have plagued F1 for the
past two decades and will probably be never forgotten by the hardcore F1 fans.
Be it Rob Smedley’s infamous ‘Fernando is faster than you’ message to Felipe
Massa at Hockenheim in 2010, or Rubens Barrichello moving aside just before the
finish line to let Michael Schumacher win in Austria in 2002, or Red Bull’s
‘Multi 21’ controversy in 2013, Team Orders have always left a negative mark on
the sport.
But why should there team orders in the first place? If you
are fast enough you do not need help to pass someone. Unfortunately it is not
as simple as that. The only top driver that comes to my mind in the last two
decades to not insist on team orders is probably Lewis Hamilton. World
champions including Schumacher, Alonso and Vettel have always been pro team
orders and if you look at the stats, they have won 15 of the last 20 world
championships.
To my knowledge and in the modern context, I don’t think any
driver signs with a team as No. 2 driver. Every driver signs on believing they
will get equal opportunities but for some reason or the other this is not
always the case. Drivers like Eddie Irvine, Massa and Mark Webber were great
talents, but putting in a winning performance every race weekend was not
possible, compared to their team-mates. Drivers like Schumacher, Alonso and
Vettel are so relentless and determined that most often than not their
teammates automatically become the No. 2 driver in the team. Their whole
approach is completely different, one that breeds confidence, passion and the
ability to lead a team. There are few drivers built like this and I am waiting
to see who from the next generation of drivers can take this on.
Williams F1 team is probably one of the greatest teams in
the history of the sport, along with Ferrari and McLaren. Frank Williams has
been one team owner who has always been against team orders and it has
definitely cost the team not only many race wins, but world championship as
well. However Frank Williams has stuck to his guns and we can see from last
weekend’s British Grand Prix that nothing has changed.
While Williams continue to defend their decision to not let
Valteri Bottas pass Massa, one can only imagine what might have been if he had
been let past and surged ahead. What was clear was that Bottas was clearly the
faster driver and at three to four tenths of a lap quicker it was possible for
him to have pulled away while Massa held back the Mercedes drivers. Williams
not only refused to let Bottas through, but also did not try an alternative
strategy like bringing him earlier, say lap 14-15 to see what he was capable
of. Williams could have been a little more aggressive and proactive in trying
different scenarios. One option was the ‘Red Bull option’, where they allowed
Daniel Ricciardo to pass Daniil Kvyat in Monaco to see if he could pass cars in
front. When it was clear he could not, Red Bull asked both drivers to swap
places again putting Kvyat back ahead. If Bottas was not able to pull away then
they could ask him to let Massa back ahead again.
Personally I am not a fan of team orders but I think in the
highly competitive world of F1 it is a necessity in certain cases. Ever since they lifted the
ban on team orders, the teams have had the opportunity to do it with more ease.
No driver wants to be told to let his teammate ahead, but in the higher
interest of the team sometimes it has to be done.
Teams are on F1 for one thing and one thing only – to win
the World Championship, Constructors first and then Drivers. I am not saying
teams should always play the team orders card, but there will be 2-3 races a
year where if used strategically, team orders can benefit the team.
So what do you think, team orders or no team orders?
