No further punishment for Ferrari team orders - Do you think that was the right decision?

Question

It looks like they've been let off for giving team orders in Hockenheim. Is a $100,000 fine enough punishment for what happened? And will you think it fair if Alonso now goes on to become champion?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8964502.stm

Answer 1

Yes there should be team orders, out in the open because it happens anyway.Who is more important ? the team or the driver.Drivers come and go the Team remains.

Answer 2

I do not agree with what happened at Hockenheim. I believe that if Alonso is such a better driver than massa and a true contender for the title, he should have passed Massa without any help (if he is unable to pass his own teammate then how the hell does he make a worthy World Champion?). Well, this is the same Alonso that was overtaken by Kobayashi in a much slower car at Valencia and was unable to pass Petrov at Turkey, so maybe he is not as great as some say.



However, on the other hand, I think the whole Formula 1 world should stop acting as if this is some huge scandal like the McLaren spy-story. One of the reasons why Ferrari escaped harsh punishment is because the FIA, all F1 teams and drivers, and all non-biased F1 fans, are aware that all teams have team orders. There have been instances this year when a team order was given in disguise, such as in Turkey when McLaren told Button not to pass Hamilton due to low oil pressure. The only difference is that Ferrari were too stupid to actually cover it up properly.In factt, following yesterday's hearing the FIA has said that it is reviewing the Team Orders Rule - in other words, it will remove the rule. They haverealizedd that it is pointless as teams are still giving orders anyway.



So what's my personal opinion? Well the FIA should have at least given a larger fine and removed some points from the Constructors' Championship, but I guess all the law court politics prevented that from happening. As for what happens if Alonso wins the championship, well he is not going to win it. McLaren and Red Bull have dominated Ferrari the whole season, it's not like Alonso is suddenly going to beat them. and even if he does, the gap between him and them is so big that Button, Hamilton, Webber and Vettel would have to retire or finish in very low positions in every race for that to happen, which is highly unlikely. But suppose that it did happen, well I guess that there is not much we can do apart from hate Alonso for all eternity. As a Ferrari fan, it hurts for me to say all this, but I think maybe we shouldn't have hired Alonso in the first place and stayed with the excellent pairing of Raikonnen and Massa. we didn't need team orders or number 1s and number 2s back then. I really wish that Massa would get out of his bad form and be able to fight for the championship next year.

Answer 3

If Alonso wins the championship by two points or less, then the result will obviously have been affected by that incident.

It was fairly obvious which way the FIA, or to give them their full name, Ferrari International Assistance, would go when making the decision.



If any other team had done that they would have at least had points deducted, and more likely been excluded from either the drivers or the constructors championships, or even both.



Similar things have happened in the past, where one team does something and is punished, but when Ferrari do exactly the same thing, they are let off, or received a lesser punishment. For example, a few years ago a Ferrari ran into the back of a Sauber that was on course to earn the team it's first championship points, but it was knocked out of the race by the collision. The Ferrari went on to finish, but I can't remember if it earned any points. Ferrari were fined something like 10,000$, which is nothing to them. The following race, a Mclaren ran into the back of a Ferrari, knocking both cars out of the race. Mclaren received a bigger fine, and the driver was given a 10 place penalty for the start of the next race.



I no longer watch the races because why should I bother when the results are being openly manipulated?

Answer 4

This is a very complicated matter.

I don't want to repeat others. Teams are teams and they should act like it. McLaren and Ferrari are giving team orders, too, but Ferrari doesn't cover it up. I don't understand why but they didn't want to do it. I think none of the teams should give orders, because these drivers are driving for themselves. If you drove 1 lap on a circuit in a F1 car you'd know that after 60-70 laps you do not want to let your teammate pass because someone in the pit said so. It's like the whole result is manipulated, and who is Stefano Domenicali to choose who is going to win? He was setting up the fans, us.



I don't want to see anything like this again, I rather watch a race and not see these things, even if I know they exist. I hate it when they do it so obviously, like they're taking us for fools...



I'm a McLaren (HAM) fan but I'd say the same if Hamilton was in Alonso's place in this situation.



Hamilton FTW! 2010 champion :D:D

Answer 5

No factors for that race, for the two driving force, and for Ferrari. a minimum of. i could bring about need of a ban for something of the season, or maybe for a pair of races quite, yet for particular, all their wins ought to be taken away for what went on in Germany. $a hundred,000 superb is ridiculous - observe money too, no longer pounds, so in funds I understand, that's a drop interior the bucket for an enterprise like Ferrari. that is severe time a. the policies have been set, and not continuously being altered, and b. the policies have been enforced, with sensible effects if broken. upload the subject with doing no longer something concerning to the factors is how important will those factors boost into on the top of this season!! i could hate to think of Alonso took the DC having benefited via the 25 he took in Germany. Ditto for Ferrari interior the CC. As for Massa, i understand that is all occurring very speedy whilst racing and chop up 2d judgements ought to be made, yet for me, i think of the actuality he did as informed makes him merely as to blame by way of fact something. So he gets fired (if he did no longer do as asked) - in my view if I have been him now, i could be strolling, with 2 arms up. He grew to become into shafted via the group and 'sorry' would not make up for that!!

Answer 6

First of all, Alonso is going to win the championship. And yes, I think this is the correct decision. I find it beyond lame that people have a problem with what Ferrari did in Germany. People act as if Massa had a 40 sec lead and was pulling away. FA was close and faster and Ferrari made the best decision for their team and should have every right to do so. Why does everyone have no problem with teams having established number 1 and 2 drivers but not ok with this?

Answer 7

It was a fixed race, which is garbage. I read that if he wins by 2 pnts it would be really smart they did that. It would be a total joke in all of the fans faces because not only was the german race fixed but also the whole championship. I don't see how that is sportsmanship what so ever. What is this "sport" trying to teach kids?

Answer 8

No team orders should not be allowed. Its not fair, yes they are driving for a team but they are driving for themselves more so, so the all the hard work and effort they put in through the race is then gone to waste when they have to slow down to allow somebody else to go past. You could tell he was so disappointed that he had to do that, he really didnt want to be part of that interview afterwards! I feel sorry for the man to be honest

Answer 9

Wish they had taken constructor points off them but it is Ferrari and you have to keep them in F.1.

Think of the crowd reaction at Monza this weekend had they been further punished.