F1: Ferrari Tactics Draw Strong Reaction

Formula 1

F1: Ferrari Tactics Draw Strong Reaction

Ferrari's alleged foul play at Hockenheim has garnered widespread criticism...

SPEED Staff / GMM | Posted July 26, 2010 GMM Newswire

Ferrari's new 2011 car is waiting in the wings. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Formula One's harsh spotlight of the international media is shining not only on Ferrari and Fernando Alonso, but also the regulation prohibiting team orders.

In a frosty postrace press conference at Hockenheim, some reporters warned Spaniard Alonso he now risks winning a "dirty" championship, comparing his win allegedly at the hands of an illegal team order to his victory at Singapore in 2008.

"That's your opinion," the Ferrari driver told them.

Team orders, of course - dating back to the gentleman racer's days when No. 2 drivers would pull into the pits to hand over their cars - are nothing new.

"This was just handled very badly," said Lotus' Mike Gascoyne.

And Ferrari's handling in Germany, with Felipe Massa ordered aside by way of a coded message from apologetic engineer Rob Smedley, fueled the media's fire.

"I am glad that the media in the paddock are kind of like our police," remarked Alex Wurz.

But according to Spain's Marca sports daily, "the English press showed no mercy" for a driver who clashed so memorably with Lewis Hamilton back in 2007.

VIDEO: German GP Results Felipe Massa leads the field in Germany. (Image: SPEED)

The Sunday Express called Alonso and Ferrari "dirty, thieving cheats," while even the milder Daily Telegraph admitted that the World Motor Sport Council could in theory disqualify the famous team from Formula One at an August meeting.

"A suspension for a number of races is another possibility," said the Daily Mail.

Triple World Champion Niki Lauda scolded Alonso for blatantly denying he had won the race, thanks to a team order. The Independent newspaper said "nobody was fooled" by Alonso's argument that he wasn't aware of the fix.

"I've never heard a driver talk such (junk). He has no character," said Austrian great Lauda.

Helmut Marko, under fire for some recent decisions at Red Bull, revelled in the change of fortune.

"It is unbelievable how awkwardly they demonstrated who is their No. 1. The FIA must react with a drastic punishment," he is quoted by Blick.

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