- 25 Mar 13, 15:10#351982
This raises an old point of mine. So, Vettel broke team orders, and, therefore, should suffer some penalty by the team, however, I doubt that he will as long as he is 'protected' by team management, as suggest by Webber. However, that said, the real problem was team orders, I have always disapproved of team orders. The teams are so self interested (understandably - the cars are expensive) and more focused on their sponsors than the fans, but, the only reason that there are sponsors is because there are fans that will see the sponsors brand. No fans = no sponsors, no sponsors = no F1. So we fans are what it is all about. The business, definitely including the FIA, is so inward looking and self interested that we are ignored. What was the best part of the final laps of this race - Webber v Vettel or Hamilton v Rosberg? I know which was most interesting to me. Team orders spoiled the Mercedes race, and would have spoiled the Red Bull race. If team orders had been followed the final laps would have been a 4 car procession, tidy but boring. We pay for racing, not processions dictated by the teams.
Of course the problem has been that there were ways around the rules that the dishonest teams used when it was against the rules. Because there is a way around the rules is not a reason for no rules at all. Bring back no team orders, make it a requirement that every team employee has it in their contract that they must not become involved in any form of team orders, including coded messages, slow pit stops and so on and on. The event is a team sport but there are really 2 teams not one in each garage. Let the drivers race, that is after all what we watch it for is it not? F1 is, after all, just a part of the entertainment industry and, therefore, entertaining the fans should be number 1 priority.
Of course the problem has been that there were ways around the rules that the dishonest teams used when it was against the rules. Because there is a way around the rules is not a reason for no rules at all. Bring back no team orders, make it a requirement that every team employee has it in their contract that they must not become involved in any form of team orders, including coded messages, slow pit stops and so on and on. The event is a team sport but there are really 2 teams not one in each garage. Let the drivers race, that is after all what we watch it for is it not? F1 is, after all, just a part of the entertainment industry and, therefore, entertaining the fans should be number 1 priority.
Strive to be fast, strive to be first but, above all, strive to be alive.
Martin
Martin
