German GP: If You Were The FIA....(SPOILER)

One would think Ferrari would make these team orders less obvious when implemented. They spend hundreds of hours trying to shave a tenth of a second off pit stops, but don't seem to have a believable method of communicating team orders. This is something they should seriously look at given the FIA frowning on team orders.

At the end of the race Massa's engineer called him "magnanimous" and also said he would explain the word's meaning later.

Here is the definition:
mag·nan·i·mous (mg-nn-ms)
adj.
1. Courageously noble in mind and heart.
2. Generous in forgiving; eschewing resentment or revenge; unselfish.

'Nuff said. Guilty as charged.

Cheers-Colin Firth-Ontario Canada

 

Rob did the right thing and was fighting for his driver. He did nothing wrong. That rests with Domecali.

The lap times wont support a verdict of it was ok for FA to "just pass." He didnt pass in the heat of competition. It was staged and Todt is on the line to end the charade Ferrari made today. If the rule is there then the teams agree.

Interpretation is not out of line in adjudication at all. The caveat of the sport being put in a bad light is always something that will have weight, hence the agreement of the rule. This damages the sport and all other teams in its wake. See what Horner from Red Bull has to say about it. Sad that FA needed help today. If he needs help to pass Felipe then I feel sorry for him and this victory is surely hollow even to him. Domencali is a complete fool.

Felipe made the most of the situation today. FA is one of entitlement not competition today. He is less than a 2 time WDC in my eyes from this race. Im a fan of MS, but not blind to the outright help that gave him extra wins and titles. I always felt FA was above that. Clearly not or he refuses the help and takes the extra talent and skill he has over Felipe and finds a way around. No excuse at all.

I wont be bored this week waiting for another race

 

You are definitly looking through the red mist. Deep in your heart, do you really think that that radio message was just a piece of fat for Massa to chew on while Massa was turning fastest lap after fastest lap? You really have to be kidding.

 

What a Crock! i'm very angry with Ferrari , poor old Masa has that horror crash exactly one year ago today, what a fairy tale ending a victory today would have been. Oh no lets deny him that and give the victory to the other guy who has no special reason to want / need the win today of all days.......im so angry and, sad for Massa that words fail me. I thought they were meant to be fully supportive of Massa after his crash / recovery what kind of ******* support is that???????

 

Did I watch an F1 race, or the movie, "CARS"?

 

But it doesn't help the team much to win two titles.

I assume Ferrari is in F1 to win as much as possible.

 

+1

 

...very well said!

 

+2

F1 is all about "massaging" the rules, if posters don't agree they have never watched F1.

 

In what world isn't Massa a teamplayer? he rolled over and let the big headed Alonso pass without hesitation, I'm surprised if Domenically didn't threaten Rob Smedley the way Barrichello was threatened back in 2002 ''you have a contract''.

If I was Massa I would have stopped the car and punched Domenically straight in his face and walked off with some self respect though.

 

nobody say it as well as you did, hit the point nicely

 

Really well said.

 

This is one reason I can't stand F1...the rule is a joke, but so is telling a driver to move over....they are R A C I N G. If someone can't get around a teammate, too freaking bad.

What a joke.

MB

 

Giving Vettel, the unspoken yet clear #1 at Red Bull, the new front wing from Webber's car, was a case of team orders. Giving anything considered an advantage to the #1 driver could be called team orders. It's done to have the best possible result. I definitely prefer this than having a selfish, foolish wreck like the one Vettel caused recently with his own teammate. Even better would be to see them duke it out without crashing, but when egos get in the way, that tends to be dangerous.

Alonso was clearly faster and both drivers are employees of FERRARI, they aren't individual business enterprises. This year at least, I don't think it will make much of a difference as one of the McLarens or Red Bulls will win the WDC and WCC anyway.

 

Why risk a pass on a team mate, taking both out when you can just let the faster car by?
By that rational then eliminate the blue flags and try to pass backmarkers too. It's what's best for the team and their chances to win the two championships, especially lately where championships are being won by a point or two.

 

Team orders happened , happens and will happen no need to get so whinny about it (I thought Fred was supposed to be the Whinny one)... the issue was they made it too obvious almost as in the MS days

 

The rule is stupid and needs to go.

 

+1

 

No, no one thinks so. That's the key word though - thinks. As far as plain facts go, there was no order and when you're playing by the rules it's facts that count.

 

In other news, 15 minutes later Ferrari announced a $1,995 increase in the 458's MSRP for "additional factory prep."

 

Sindo, not the spirit of the rules, or what I see as professional car racing. It is very unlikely that Alonso would have been able to pass that car that he had been following for the entire race, if the Button/Hamilton duals this year are an example, there would not have been a move over flag displayed to Massa.

Just plainly wrong to let Alonso through. The rule was established for a reason, live with the rule, or get penalized. Which is what is happening to Ferrari. Thankfully.

 

Team orders are abused, that's why it is. Like today, we've seen that it gets abused.

I've got full understanding of the rule if there where just a few races to go, and one of the drivers has a significant advantage in points and needs them. Anyone understands that, even the driver who has to concede the position.

But today, it was a total farce. There are plenty of races to go, Alonso couldn't get passed Massa despite being on his tail a while, despite that Massa encountered most of his traffic at the worst corners (and Alonso had many of them on the straights, so more advantage to him). They were fairly similar in points, with so many races to go.

I've lost all my respect for anyone in Ferrari, bar Massa and Smedley. Although Massa and/or should have punched Domenicalli straight in the face for good measure.

 

Massa was a bottleneck especially after changing his tires after the first stop. He was all over the place and at some point if FA did not lift, both would have crashed and left the race. Vettel was gaining on FA because of Massa at some point.

Ferrari waited too long to issue this order, they should have kept him longer in the pit (Opps i got two Front Right tires, wait until i get the Left Front tire lol). That would have been easier.

Massa have no chance of winning this year and this was a lucky break for him. I doubt he will be able to repeat this against the likes of FA, LH & Vettel.

 

Why do you hate Barrichello? He is told to NOT WIN a race he had won? IF you were to drive cars for a living, and the goal of driving those cars was to win races...and if you were told to give up and not win even though you were a better driver in that race, wouldn't you be pissed too?

I take offense to your remark as a Barrichello fan...he didn't "cause" anything. The rule is stupid but the actions of asking a driver to move over in a race are beyond farcicle.

The purpose of racing cars is to win. If you can't make your car go faster than the other guy, you lose - period.

MB

 

Well, according to Steve Matchett, I think he mentioned that a team can
ask it's slower car to move over for the teams faster one. Am I correct?