Team orders

Team Orders in motor racing is the practice of one driver allowing another from the same team or manufacturer to gain a higher finish at the direction of the team management.

This is generally done when one driver is behind in a particular race but ahead overall in a championship season. The team will then order their drivers to rearrange themselves on the track so as to give the championship points to the driver who needs them most. Prime examples of this are the team orders issued by Formula One teams to their drivers.

Another reason for team orders is that, where both drivers are in a position far ahead of the field, being all but assured of the win. Team orders to issued to prevent the drivers from racing each other; the aim is to have them drive cautiously in order to save fuel, reduce the chance of mechanical problems, and avoid a collision, such as at the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix. Similar orders were issued at the 1982 San Marino Grand Prix but Didier Pironi ignored them and overtook Gilles Villeneuve, causing an intense argument between the two.

Team Orders in F1

Such orders were legal and expected historically in motor racing. In the early years of the Formula One World Championship it was even legal for a driver to give up his car during the race to the team leader if his car had broken down. See the 1957 British Grand Prix, for example.

In the late 1990s incidents of team orders began to be reported more prominently by the media and public opinion began to turn against them (See the 1997 European Grand Prix and the 1998 Australian Grand Prix). Subsequently, after the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix incident where Rubens Barrichello was ordered to allow Ferrari teammate Michael Schumacher to pass in order to obtain the win, "Team Orders that could influence the outcome of a race" were banned in F1 regulations, although they are sometimes still implemented discreetly. For example, this has sometimes been achieved as easily as a team getting on the radio to the slower driver and pointing out that his teammate is quicker. The slower driver then lets the quicker driver through without the need for an overt "directive" from the team.