Stall order

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Crossing the finish line at the Austrian Grand Prix 2002 , controversial stable order at Ferrari

A team orders , and team orders or team orders called, is an expression of a competition policy, particularly in cycling and in motorsport. An order (from French: ordre) means an order or an instruction .

The stable order is an instruction from the team leader of a racing team to its driving athletes - regardless of their ability and often against their striving to win - to take a certain action.

It can be a general instruction that is given before the race, for example in the team meeting.

Example 1: "First, driver B pulls driver A, selected as the winner, in the slipstream , followed by driver C and then driver D. In the final sprint, the more rested driver A then takes the lead!"
Example 2: “Today it's about getting through, no risky actions, we can't win anything with a win, but lose a lot if we fail. If possible, don't get involved in duels, especially not between you! "

The stall order can, however, also react to current events, for example via radio pit radio, and thus directly influence the course of the race.

Example: "Do not overtake the weaker team-mate [in this race] because otherwise you will deprive him of valuable World Championship points for the World Championship final standings because his direct opponent has already been eliminated [and you can no longer become World Champion anyway]."

She always causes discussions. In particular, the contradiction to the actual competition idea “may the better win” as well as the displeasure of the spectators about unspectacular race-political victories without interesting competitive maneuvers play a role.

It has been a perfectly accepted method in cycling for decades.

Examples

  • Formula 1 season 2002 , Austria, A1-Ring , Ferrari : In the last lap, Rubens Barrichello let his team-mate Michael Schumacher pass shortly before the finish line at the behest of his team in order to let him win. The audience reacted angrily and whistled what they saw as the wrong race winner. Schumacher himself then gave Barrichello the top podium at the award ceremony. By swapping places on the podium, the drivers violated the regulations and the FIA ​​motor sports association fined Ferrari US $ 1,000,000 . For the next season, the rules were changed and the FIA ​​banned stable orders.
  • Motorcycle World Championship 2005 , 125 cm³ Motorcycle World Championship , KTM : At the Grand Prix of Qatar , Gábor Talmácsi overtook his teammate Mika Kallio after the last corner against the stable order . KTM denied this stable order. Kallio was runner-up at the end of the season, five points behind the Swiss Thomas Lüthi ; if he had won the race, he would have become world champion.
  • Formula 1 season 2010 , at the 2010 German Grand Prix , race engineer Rob Smedley told his protégé Felipe Massa over the radio: "Fernando is faster than you. Can you confirm that you understood this message?" The Brazilian left his Spanish teammate Fernando Alonso then passed a short time later (on lap 49) by briefly taking off the gas. Ferrari's race engineer Rob Smedley then radioed Massa: "Sorry!", The public admission of the team command.
    The case was investigated by the FIA, and a 100,000 US dollars is fine. A controversial discussion followed within Formula 1 about the provability of an indirect stable order. Because of this case, the 2011 ban on stable orders was removed from the FIA ​​regulations.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Race Report Grand Prix of Austria in 2002 , site in December, called the 6th 2012th
  2. ↑ Schumacher Remains Winner for 1 Million Dollar , Spiegel-Online article from June 26, 2002, accessed on March 14, 2011.
  3. ↑ An overview of the 2003 rule changes , motorsport-total.com article from March 6, 2003, accessed on March 14, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Team order at Ferrari - cheat victory against Sebastian Vettel" , article on bild.de from July 25, 2010, accessed on March 12, 2011.
  5. ↑ FIA waives further punishment; Ferrari keeps world championship points , n-tv.de article from September 8, 2010, accessed on March 13, 2011.
  6. ↑ FIA abolishes stall order ban , motorsport-total.com of December 10, 2010, accessed on March 12, 2011.