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but is the 2nd race of the season, the team should grant the drivers freedom to fight for positions, not giving up as if they were going for championship. Team orders are acceptable only after Monza, before that, leave it for the best in the track

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Motorsports trend for 2024: everything is a bad taste joke now

Team orders are "acceptable" anytime the team deems it necessary.

It's funny that in two entirely separate conversations in the past couple of days I've had there is one common denominator, the term "just because you can, doesn't mean that you should", it something you youngsters seem to have quiet a hard time understanding these days.

I was going to use the old 'championship points count for the same at the first and last race' statement to counter the argument against team orders so early on but y'know...

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Dan Wheldon | 1978 - 2011

how I miss the old points system

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Motorsports trend for 2024: everything is a bad taste joke now

But it wasn't about the drivers' standings - it was about gaining constructors' points. The order made sense - it wasn't anti-competitive. It was just naive to expect 1) Massa to move over to begin with and 2) Bottas to move over for Massa if he wasn't successful. We know 1 didn't happen, and it was likely based off Massa's belief that 2 wouldn't happen either. The team gave an order and didn't think of the potential consequences, aside from "yeah, we might get more points"

Teams shouldn't really take for granted that their drivers will do as they are told, given how many times down the years we've seen drivers ignore them. I don't have a problem with the order itself, and Massa's not blameless. The problem is whoever gave the order seemingly just assumed both drivers would be happy with it, trusted each other and would have gone along with it. Drivers are human beings, not automatons

But then Williams always have had a strange way of dealing with drivers - the team has always been more important than the driver there...

they always went for constructors championship

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Motorsports trend for 2024: everything is a bad taste joke now

Yes, though it also applies to the drivers' championship as well - Sir Frank doesn't mind which of his drivers wins the title, as long as one of them wins it

Sir Frank, of all the team bosses in the paddock, is the arch-pragmatist - he bins drivers if they aren't contributing enough to be value for the money they are being paid, and those standards are pretty high given that he once ditched his lead driver and world champion-elect over it. Obviously he wasn't there in Malaysia but clearly that attitude is ingrained in the team

It's a way that's worked for Williams for a long time. But the downside of it is being treated as an expendable part isn't good for driver morale

The young fool Stirling Moss also stands by Massa in his decision: http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/308670/

Before allowing his comments to be published, Sir Stirling should learn the meaning of "contradiction" and "misinformation". His comments are completely wrong...

- Exhibit A, "If it’s not written into the contract that you must let your team-mate through, you’re racing him as much as anyone else on the track" - Well it is in the contract

- Exhibit B, "and if it were in the contract I wouldn’t sign it" - Well this isn't about you, it is about Massa who did sign the contract

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BTCC Pick Em's Champion 2010
Formula Fun Cup Champion 2013
http://www.the-fastlane.co.uk

Is that really in the contract though?

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