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BMW-Sauber using team orders?

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Wizzo:

BMW-Sauber has denied reports in Switzerland that it used illegal team orders during Sunday's Japanese grand prix.

According to the 'Blick' newspaper, Nick Heidfeld's race engineer radioed the German during the 53-lap Suzuka race with the message: 'Robert is faster'.

He was referring to Polish team newcomer Robert Kubica, who was keen to overtake his teammate. Blick alleges that the 'Robert is faster' message was in fact an instruction for Nick to move over, even though the 'order' was not obeyed.

Dr Mario Theissen reportedly also got on the radio to Heidfeld and repeated the three-word message. Television viewers then heard the radio call to Kubica, made by his engineer, in which it was explained that he is 'allowed' to pass Heidfeld.

Blick asked team boss Theissen if the radio messages were in fact team orders.

"No," said the German, "that is not allowed."

Chameleon:
Actually, this becomes very relevant again after the uproar about alleged team orders by McLaren at Monaco.  What both incidents illustrate is the stupidity of the rule.  Apart from ignoring F1's entire history, it is unworkable since it becomes a matter of opinion as to what is a team order and what isn't.  And any rule that relies on someone's opinion has got to be a bad one...

raindancer:
I think it is a little naive on our part to believe that Team Orders do not exist. There is too much at stake to have a couple of hot headed drivers wreck millions of dollars worth of preparation and in most cases there will punitive clauses in case a driver doesn't honour these.

rmassart:
I think this could all be easily clarified. Ordering a driver not to overtake/race is team mate is a completely different situation to ordering a leading driver to let his team mate overtake. The Schumacher era at Ferrari is what took all this to extremes not seen before and is one of the main reasons I have little respect for Schumacher's achievements - great as they in fact were.

Can you imagine Senna giving way to Prost - team orders or not?

Chameleon:
Actually, team orders have been present in F1 since the very beginning - in fact, there was a time when the team could even tell you to hand over your car to the number one driver if his broke down.  In more recent times, remember that it was Rene Arnoux's refusal to slow down and let Prost through for the win (a French GP, I think) that made him persona non grata at Renault and led to him going to Ferrari the year following.  Heck, was it his fault that he was quicker than Prost (anyone who beat Prost had my vote in those days  :D)?  And Ferrari often tried to put on a show when they were dominant by having their cars take the chequered flag in line abreast - just to rub it in and add to the show, I suppose.

Outsiders do not understand the necessity for team orders but that is the point really: the F1 enthusiasts know and accept that teams should have a say in which of their drivers takes precedence; outsiders do not and so their views need not be taken note of - let them dedicate themselves to the sport and then they might be worth listening to.  It's just a pity that the FIA is so hypnotised by money and viewing figures that they tried to curry favour with an ignorant public by issuing the team orders legislation.

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