Do Team “Orders” Effect The Outcome Of F1 Races?
While officially team orders are not allowed in F1 racing, with both drivers of each team supposed to be given equal opportunity to win, does this really work, or are “team orders” effecting the outcome of some races?
For those of you who watched the final F1 race in Brazil, you would have seen the two Ferrari’s swap places after different pit stop strategies, conveniently giving the lead to Kimi Raikkonen and eventually seeing him provisionally claim the Drivers Championship.
While there is an appeal from McLaren about the fuel temperature of three cars which finished just ahead of Lewis Hamilton, many are now asking if it really was worth betting on the Felipe Massa, the second placed Ferrari driver who was leading the race for so long.
The rules of F1 state that team orders are not allowed, and while officially they are not discussed, this is not the first time we have seen suspected “team orders” effect the overall outcome of a race, to the detriment of many gamblers. Should betting on F1 be allowed? Is it really fair?
Despite much promise of tightening the rules and regulations, the F1 authorities are not really able to control so called team orders, with cases against various teams difficult to prove. In a sport which generates millions of dollars for a whole variety of associations and companies throughout the world, there is little chance of the authorities “rocking the boat”.
You also need to consider the fact that each team does have a number one driver, and if they are seen as the more skilful of the drivers available to the team, then it would be crazy not to give them special attention. However, it does become a little more difficult when you see a so called number two driver, such as Lewis Hamilton, in serious contention to win the Drivers Championship. It seems that the gap between number one and number two drivers has reduced of late, giving the F1 set-up a major headache.