Formula 1 Team Orders: A Necessary Evil?

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We all remember Hungary 2024... the race that divided McLaren fans around the world with everyone agreeing that something went wrong within the team. Team orders have been a hotly contested topic for YEARS amongst not only governing bodies but FANS. It's not hard to imagine why... when a team is playing the 'team game' and institute team orders it feels like your favorite driver is losing out by no fault of their own or that it's not an earned overtake.

I'd be remiss to leave out that I too despise the use of team orders.

Regardless, over the years, team orders have "yo-yo'ed" from an unregulated normal practice to completely banned to a regularly accepted BUT controlled part of the sport. While it may not have been as hotly contested in the 2022 and 2023 seasons, the topic resurfaced with fresh intensity in 2024 when McLaren’s handling of team orders at the Hungarian Grand Prix AND this weekend at the Brazilian Grand Prix Sprint felt completely mismanaged.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: When referring to team orders throughout this article, I am referencing team orders in the context of race positions and wins. NOT team orders related to providing DRS, a tow, gaps between other teams, etc...

How were Team Orders treated in the past of Formula 1?

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In Formula 1’s early days, team orders were not only accepted but seen as part of the strategic playbook. Teams routinely instructed their drivers to yield to teammates in pursuit of the best possible overall outcome even with LARGE gaps or using other teams' cars in the game of strategy.

This practice quite literally stems back to 1950 during the VERY FIRST Formula 1 World Championship season, Alfa Romeo driver Luigi Fagioli was asked to cede his place to teammate Giuseppe Farina, who ultimately went on to win both the race and the championship. With more structure added to the sport over the years, teams would use this practice more and more when the stake wasn't just 'glory' or a title but it meant substantial money and sponsorships. Money has always been king in F1, after all!

The tactic, however, wasn't universally accepted. In a 1979 interview, former world champion Niki Lauda famously remarked,

"I would rather have my teammate crash into me than hand him a victory I earned."

These comments may not be heard by our current-era F1 drivers, but it certainly reflected growing frustration among drivers who felt that team orders robbed them of fair competition, as well as among fans who wanted to see drivers compete on equal terms. A sentiment that I'm sure as fans we can all understand.

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Did you know that Team Orders WERE banned?

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Yes! The FIA HAS done what we've been asking them to. Spoiler alert... it didn't work.

During the 2002 at the Austrian Grand Prix, when Ferrari infamously instructed Rubens Barrichello to allow Michael Schumacher to overtake him. Barrichello, leading and on course for a victory, slowed in the final laps to let Schumacher pass.

The result was MASSIVE outrage: Fans can be heard booing the podium, and the media outright criticized Ferrari for what they saw as a “fixing” of the race. Schumacher’s gesture of pulling Barrichello up to stand with him on the top step of the podium only fueled the debate, with many calling it a “hollow gesture.”

In response, the FIA issued a rule in 2003 banning team orders that "interfere with the race result."

Max Mosley, FIA President at the time, said,

“The Austrian Grand Prix [2002] was a wake-up call. Fans want fair competition, and we cannot allow teams to manipulate race results so openly.”

The rule aimed to curb overt team orders, but enforcement proved challenging, and teams soon found ways to work around the rule.

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The F1 Loophole Era

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Do we really think that teams followed this order (pun intended)? Nope!

Goodbye the days of "please swap positions" and Hello to the days of coded messages!

Teams still wanted to utilize 1st and 2nd drivers so to speak to maximize points and results as a team. They would use phrases like “Save fuel” or “You’re on different strategies” to indicate a need for cooperation between drivers. This is something that teams would use on a day to day basis - even now! (Which also makes me, as the author, question if these messages are still coded today.)

One of the most notorious examples came in 2010 at the German Grand Prix, where Ferrari once again issued a team order. This time, the message,

“Fernando is faster than you” was sent to Felipe Massa.

Thus, instructing Massa to allow teammate Fernando Alonso to pass. Massa, who had led the race, complied reluctantly, but the coded message was evident to fans and officials alike.

This incident led to a €100,000 fine for Ferrari, though Alonso still claimed victory.

The incident became one of the primary drivers for the FIA’s decision in 2011 to lift the ban on team orders altogether. Instead, the governing body focused on ensuring that team orders were used responsibly.

“We’re simply recognizing what was already happening,” said Jean Todt, then FIA President. “But we will be monitoring any attempts to misuse team orders.”

Naturally, since the ban was lifted - we as mostly current era fans - can see and hear team orders much more openly, particularly at critical points of the season (namely when there is a title fight towards the back half of the season).

A 2022 analysis found that teams issued an average of three to four team orders per season, with the majority of these occurring in races where championships were at stake according to an analysis by Motorsport.com.

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McLaren's Team Orders Controversy

I think you know why I'm writing this article, at this point. McLaren during the 2024 season have been the most blatant 'offenders' to the team orders debate...

Let's start with the Hungarian Grand Prix, shall we!

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McLaren at the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix

Let's run it back to... this race... McLaren’s 2024 driver lineup— Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri — have, throughout this season, brought McLaren in a tight battle for both the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships. BUT at this time - McLaren was still sitting in 3rd place behind Red Bull and Ferrari (albeit, close to both).

During the race, Piastri was leading Norris but due to what appeared to be a pit stop strategy not communicated across the garage - Lando undercut Oscar - now leading the race. The order was given various times that Lando should concede the place back to Piastri for MANY laps.

However, the order was met with reluctance from Norris, who argued over team radio that,

“He's on much quicker tyres. I mean, I would have tried to undercut anyway.”

What REALLY sparked debate, though were many radio communications between the drivers and their engineers that nearly edged on coercion like,

"We think both cars are using tyres too much. Just remember every Sunday morning meeting we have," from Lando's race engineer.

and

"Lando there are five laps to go. The way to win a championship is not by yourself. You're going to need Oscar and you're going to need the team. The longer we leave this, the riskier it gets. If there's a safety car now, it makes this very awkward. Please do it now."

The worst part... to fans and other drivers alike. This was Oscar Piastri's first F1 win - to which... he APOLOGIZED over the radio for getting. Even as a fan of Oscar Piastri, I, as the author, would say that Lando's pit undercut (although 'accidental') was fair and it should have been on Oscar to make the pass. This entire race reignited the conversation around playing the team game and swapping positions to satisfy the team or teammate, becoming a massive topic of discussion for the 2024 season.

Really where the question lies (still) is why would the team prioritize Oscar Piastri when Lando Norris was the one closing the Drivers' Championship gap to Max Verstappen.

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McLaren at the 2024 Brazil Grand Prix Sprint

Shocker! It happened again this weekend, although on a much smaller playing field - the 2024 Brazilian Grand Prix Sprint.

Now that we have entered the final few races of the 2024 season, the team orders game is at a critical point. McLaren is leading the Constructors' Championship over Ferrari and Red Bull, but Lando Norris is on a mission to close his gap to Max Verstappen for his FIRST Drivers' Championship bid.

Oscar Piastri started on Pole with Lando Norris in 2nd for the Brazil Sprint race. It was a VERY tight top 4 through most of the race with Oscar, Lando, Charles Leclerc, and Max Verstappen in the battle for a Sprint win and 8 critical points. The fans ALL expected for team orders to be called to swap Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris early on, to maximize points earned against Max Verstappen. EVEN LANDO agreed with that - making several radio calls referencing an earlier 'plan'.

... but it didn't happen....

Until lap 22 out of 24 when Nico Hulkenberg's Haas retired and a safety car was bound to be called - Lando and Oscar swapped moments before overtaking was impossible.

Even after the sprint Lando said,

"I'm not proud to win a race like I did today. We want to avoid it as much as much as we can, but at the same time we sign up for this, we have to work together as a team. We get told what to do, we have a boss. We do the best we can to help each other out."

Does this call make sense? Yes. We can all understand that Lando is in the hunt for a championship and needs to maximize points.

Does it feel 'fair'? Obviously, no. Even Lando agrees with that sentiment... As did Oscar during his Hungarian Grand Prix win.

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Will the FIA or F1 further regulate team orders?

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Honestly... probably not. At the end of the day, as much as we as fans dislike the rule (unless it is our favorite driver being swapped into the lead), Christian Horner, Red Bull Team Principal puts it best,

"It’s about the big picture. We have to make tough decisions sometimes.”

However, does this 'big picture' undermine fair competition? Many fans and even some drivers think so.

The McLaren incidents underscore the challenges teams face in balancing team strategy with driver autonomy. The FIA has shown no indication of reintroducing a ban, but they have suggested a review the rules if incidents like McLaren’s Hungarian Grand Prix conflict become frequent.

Team order calls, especially this year, serve as a reminder that while strategically vital, they will continue to evoke strong emotions and spark debate on what defines fair racing. It is now about finding the right balance between team strategy and sporting integrity will remain a central challenge for teams and drivers alike.

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