Team Orders in F1 - Good, Bad or Just Plain Ugly?

[Mark Ratzenbacher]

I am not for banning team radio, team tactics, etc. But just look at the Force India guys doing it, retaining their pride and sportsmanship.

Mercedes discredited their own Hamilton with this unearned win.
And Bottas as well not being utilized as a driver, but as a lackey for the stratego masters.

No matter what anybody tells you, this is not racing. If you believe otherwise, you probably as well call the F1-game a fully realistic simulation.

 

[Will Mazeo]

Yes, they can. They have onboard camera and telemetry afterwards to control things. It certainly is possible, but it takes way more effort for the stewards.

Well I'll take this as you are an extremely naive person then if you think it's possible. GL mate.

 

[Bruce Banner]

If I had the choice of being number 2 at all times in a Merc or being on an equal footing in a midcard or back marker team then then I'd choose another team because I'd always want to be racing as hard as I can ALL of the time . The picture on the previous page may look funny but uncomfortably it's not far from the truth . If Bottas ever truly wants to ' race ' again he's got to leave Mercedes . All Bottas is used for is a mobile block for ( usually ) Vettel in third . And they want 3 car teams ? Lots of 1 car teams may be a better option as that eliminates team orders altogether . I don't feel too sorry for Valterri though as he must have known the score when he signed for them . Imagine if Hamilton and Vettel were in the same car . They wouldn't even contemplate team orders with 2 quadruple world champions . I highly doubt Max would obey if he was in the other Merc either . But Valterri is just a decent driver in a mega car ( by far the best on the grid , regardless of the garbage Mercedes say about the Ferrari being faster it clearly isn't ) .

 

[keto95]

Well I'll take this as you are an extremely naive person then if you think it's possible. GL mate.

I think YOU're naive by thinking talking in codes will do the trick. GL mate.

 

[Motowntom]

Ha, Ha,Ha,....Euro trash as usual....got one word for ya, INDYCAR, If you are an engineering fan then yes F1, if you are a race fan, not so much.
Cheers

 

[Chris Wyatt]

Why would you ban team order in a team sport? If you do that you might as well have single car teams.

However I'm not sure if on this occasion it was entirely necessary but I guess what it does show is how worried they are about Ferrari.

 

[Pecos Bill]

"Multi 21, Seb? Multi 21?"

That's how ya do it. Ignore the radio.

 

[Koen Verlinde]

"Multi 21, Seb? Multi 21?"

That's how ya do it. Ignore the radio.

Still a lot more acceptable than just going to pit limiter speed and "suddenly" gaining speed again.

 

[ears]

I believe team orders WERE banned in F1, and, well, Fernando was faster than you.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2010/dec/10/fia-removes-f1-team-orders-ban

 

[Leonardo Ratafiá]

It's how it is, works that way in every mayor racing league. If some teamate doesn't have chance to be champion he will let the other win for more points. It's gotta be in the contract they sign as well. It's a team but only one can be champion. Is it more notorious in F1, probably yes, but every category in the world does it. Do we like it? Some do some not but unless it's void or sth it always be like that.

 

[Nick Hill]

As a fan, it's very hard to watch sometimes, but you have to allow the teams to compete as they see fit.

I think people (self included) struggle with it because it creates a great deal of hard-to-resolve cognitive dissonance. F1 is about as close as you can get to pure competition and these team order situations are highly competitive manuevers AND simultaneously undercutting competition. It's weird, but a necessary evil in my view.

I make no secret of not being a Lewis fan, but I thought it was kind of BS for Sky to put him on the spot about it right after hopping out of the car. Lewis handled it very well I thought, but I don't think he should have to answer/apologize for something beyond his control.

 

[GTRacer123]

Still a lot more acceptable than just going to pit limiter speed and "suddenly" gaining speed again.

What do you mean?

 

[Koen Verlinde]

What do you mean?

What I said, that a quote word that means "let him take your slipstream" is a lot better than hitting the speed limiter and then afterwards suddenly gain speed again.

Bottas played this wonderful imo, he overdid it so much that the idiocy of the team orders caused a stir on social media.

 

[Nick Hill]

For the record, I don't personally think the team orders were necessary today - certainly not worth the cringey podium and bad press for Merc. Hamilton has Vettel right where he wants him.

 

[Matheus Machado]

Spectators only know that team orders happennbecause of the radio and basic telemetry being broadcast. If all tires were the same color and there was only the racw to be watched I am sure many people would say the sport is more exciting than they do now.

F1 has never been about a level playing field and as long as it is beneficial in the long run, teams will and should swap places. Same goes for Ferrari which lost some valuable points this year by not doing it.

 

[Wedge]

understandable but detrimental to the sport.

F1 would be way more fun if the championship was being disputed by more than 2 drivers and even by teammates.

 

[ZuneGuy]

Lewis is an incredible driver, and he knows he doesn't have to win this way. You could tell that he didn't much like it today. But team orders are apart of maximizing points for whenever the team feels the need. They have been in play for Vettel when he was at Red bull a number of times and now at Ferrari as well. They were also there in Schumacher's career and it's just the way it is in F1.

 

[Michael Lowe]

Part of the sport unfortunately. Always happened, always will happen. Both Kimi and valteri have been thrown to the dogs many times this season to help driver no 1. The main problem is that drivers no 2 are no threat to driver no 1. Nico and Lewis always raced while they were competitive.

 

[motoci]

TEAM orders within a TEAM taking part in a TEAM sport. yeah, it doesn't look good, but i can see the point of it. i respect mercedes for being clear on the radio unlike ferrari in hockenheim:'hey kimi, you know, seb is behind you and... we gotta look after those tires and bla bla bs' and kimi said cut the crap

 

[Boby Kim]

Regardless of the championship it sucks. Winners should be winners period