Top 5 most controversial F1 ‘team orders’ of all time

Formula 1 is a complex sport. 10 teams compete against one another with 20 of the world’s best drivers. Only one driver can win the F1 world championship every season. This has forced teams in the past to support one of their two drivers in their title campaign at the expense of the other, resulting in the infamous team orders.

Team orders have become common in Formula 1 in recent years. Mercedes and Red Bull have faced backlash for implementing such calls in order to favor Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen respectively. Fans have hated such decisions by F1 teams. Nevertheless, team orders allow a team to ensure that its lead driver gets to score maximum points during a race which could be crucial for the championship.

Ferrari has been a pioneer when it comes to such instructions. The Italian team is infamous for supporting its star driver throughout its history, be it, Michael Schumacher or Fernando Alonso. Formula 1 had banned team orders in the past. However, today, teams are free to give instructions to their drivers which could have a significant impact in the standings. This article delves into the top 5 most controversial F1 ‘team orders’ of all time.

5. “Valtteri, it’s James” – 2018 German GP

Mercedes was in a battle with Scuderia Ferrari for the 2018 championship. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel seemed to have an upper hand on Lewis Hamilton in the first half of the season. Subsequently, the seven-time world champion needed to maximize points every weekend to claim the championship that season, including the challenging German GP.

Hamilton had qualified fourteenth for the race but was making a quick recovery. Moreover, Vettel was out of the race after a shocking crash from the lead. This allowed Lewis Hamilton to take the lead in the latter half of the Grand Prix. However, Valtteri Bottas was closing in on the Briton with just ten laps to go as the Finnish driver tried to fight for victory.

Unfortunately, the Mercedes pit wall instructed Bottas to not overtake Hamilton. This gave birth to the iconic “Valtteri, it’s James” meme. Bottas decided to abide by the team order and finished the race behind his teammate. The Finnish driver gained a reputation for assisting Lewis Hamilton during his time at Mercedes till the end of 2021.

Valtteri, it’s James. Please hold position, I’m sorry.

James Vowles told Valtteri Bottas (H&T: GPtoday)

4. “Multi 21” – 2013 Malaysian GP

Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber had a tense relationship during their time as teammates at Red Bull. The 2010 Turkish GP created a rivalry between the two drivers. Webber had even called out the Austrian team for allegedly treating him like a number 2 driver. Nevertheless, things reached a boiling point at the 2013 Malaysian GP.

Sebastian Vettel had taken pole position for the race. However, the German driver lost the lead to his more experienced teammate during the early stages of the race. Webber and Vettel had created a comfortable gap to the rest of the grid over the course of the race. In the final leg of the Grand Prix, Red Bull instructed the two drivers to hold position with the ‘Multi 21’ team order. This instruction meant that Mark Webber in Car number 2 must remain in front of Vettel’s car number 1.

Sebastian Multi map 2-1 Multi Map 2-1

Sebastian Vettel’s race engineer said on the radio (H&T: F1)

However, Vettel seemed to have other plans. The German driver went on the outside of turn 4 of Webber with just 13 laps to go. The soon-to-be four-time world champion took the lead and ignored any further orders from Red Bull.

Vettel and Red Bull were criticized for this situation. Mark Webber was furious after the race as his teammate had purposefully gone against the team. Eventually, Webber would retire from F1 at the end of the season while Sebastian Vettel would win a fourth consecutive title that year.

3. “Fernando is faster than you” – 2010 German GP

The 2010 F1 season saw multiple drivers battle it out for the world title. Fernando Alonso was considered the favorite by many as the Spanish driver drastically outperformed teammate Felipe Massa. Heading into the 2010 German GP, Alonso was in dire need of a good result after losing points to Lewis Hamilton in the standings.

Massa and Alonso were leading the race in a Ferrari 1-2 after Sebastian Vettel’s poor start from pole position. The two-time world champion tried to pass the Brazilian driver on multiple occasions throughout the race. However, Felipe Massa managed to fend off his teammate. Things started to change in the final leg of the race as Sebastian Vettel began to close the gap to the two Ferraris.

The Scuderia decided to inform Massa that Alonso was the faster driver on the track. This infamous, “Felipe, Fernando is faster than you,” message signaled the Brazilian to pave the way for his teammate. This message came at a time when team orders had been banned from F1 for almost eight years.

Felipe, Fernando is faster than you.

Rob Smedley told Felipe Massa (H&T: Autosport)

Nevertheless, Felipe Massa had to abide by this message with Fernando Alonso going on to win the race. The entire F1 paddock was infuriated by Ferrari’s decision as it was interpreted as a breach of the regulations.

2. ‘Crashgate’ – 2008 Singapore GP

The 2008 Singapore GP remains as one of the worst weekends in F1 history. Fernando Alonso returned to Renault in 2008 after a brief stint at McLaren. However, the Enstone-based had fallen behind its rivals massively with Alonso heading into the Marina Bay weekend with zero victories that season.

Renault F1 boss Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds planned the infamous Crashgate scandal for the Singapore GP. Nelson Piquet Jr. was instructed by the team to crash deliberately right after his teammate Fernando Alonso had pitted early on in the race.

Alonso had an alternative race strategy than his rivals which ensured that he was the only driver who could capitalize on Piquet Jr’s crash. The two-time world champion won the race. However, a year later, Nelson Piquet Jr. confessed to this team order which shocked the sporting world.

Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds were forced to resign from Renault. The Enstone-based team even lost title sponsor ING due to this scandal. However, it was found that Alonso was not involved in the formulation of this plan.

1. “Let Michael pass for the championship” – 2002 Austrian GP

Michael Schumacher dominated Formula 1 with Ferrari in the 2000s. The German driver was in a league of his own against the competition. However, on a couple of occasions, Schumacher was challenged by teammate Rubens Barrichello, including the 2002 Austrian GP.

Heading into the sixth race of the season, Schumacher had won four of the first five races with a massive lead in the standings. Rubens Barrichello claimed pole position after an incredible drive in Qualifying. The Brazilian driver stayed in the lead for the majority of the race without any real threat from Michael Schumacher.

However, Ferrari decided to instruct Barrichello to let Schumacher take the race win. Maranello claimed that they needed the German driver to take the win for the championship. Although, it was still the first half of the season with Michael Schumacher having a huge lead over his rivals in terms of points.

Let Michael pass for the championship.

Jean told told Rubens Barrichello (H&T @Kresljedos/YouTube)

Nevertheless, Rubens Barrichello reluctantly followed the team order and paved the way for his teammate. The Brazilian driver was informed that he would need to abide by the instructions. After the race, fans were furious over the outcome. Ferrari was booed by the attendees at the circuit. Subsequently, Michael Schumacher told Barrichello to stand on the top step of the podium instead of himself. The FIA fined Ferrari $1 million for this breach of protocol. This incident led to the outright ban on team orders in F1 which was breached by Ferrari eight years later.

In case you missed it:

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