F1: Team Orders Scandal Erupts In Germany

Formula 1

F1: Team Orders Scandal Erupts In Germany

Felipe Massa may have let teammate Fernando Alonso by in the German Grand Prix...

SPEED Staff / GMM | Posted July 25, 2010 GMM Newswire

Fernando Alonso (Right) celebrates his win in the German Grand Prix as teammate Felipe Massa (Left) looks on. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Sunday's German Grand Prix began amid a burgeoning flexible wing saga, and ended with a new scandal about team orders.

LINK > UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS: GERMAN GRAND PRIX – HOCKENHEIMRING
LINK > UPDATED DRIVER STANDINGS: GERMAN GRAND PRIX – HOCKENHEIMRING

After a team one-two, and soaked in champagne, Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali was hounded in the Hockenheim pitlane by reporters accusing him of illegally ordering Felipe Massa to hand his victory to Fernando Alonso.

"This is not true," Italian Domenicali told an angry Eddie Jordan on British television BBC.

Red Bull's Christian Horner, earlier accused by his rivals of running an illegally-flexing front wing on the RB6 in Germany, said the FIA stewards should actually be probing Ferrari's alleged rules breach.

"That was the clearest team order I've ever seen. As clear as 2002," said the Briton, referring to the Austrian Grand Prix that year, when then Ferrari team boss Jean Todt ordered Rubens Barrichello aside for Michael Schumacher.

Fascinatingly, Todt is now president of the governing FIA.

"The difference with 2002 was that there was no rule (about team orders) then," said Jordan. "This is 10 times worse."

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The alleged team order at Hockenheim began with Alonso pleading on the radio that sitting behind Massa was "ridiculous."

Shortly afterward, Massa's engineer Rob Smedley told Massa on the radio: "OK, so, 'Fernando is faster than you.' Can you confirm you understand that message?"

Massa, 29, then deliberately slowed down on a straight and let Alonso pass.

But Domenicali denied Ferrari is therefore guilty of implementing team orders.

"To be honest, I don't think so," he said when asked if he thought the stewards would be looking into the incident.

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