The Rebels

Formula One is increasingly turning out to be a my-way-or-the-highway sport. The past two races have given us a) The infamous team order b) The very famous bully – Michael Schumacher. It seems every team, every racer is in a mood to act like a little kid stealing a candy and then proclaiming innocence.

Ferrari snatched a thoroughly deserved victory in the German grand prix. While the fans and the motor sporting world should have stood up and clapped at the revival of the master team, many expressed anger and disappointment. Here’s why. Felipe Massa was gleefully blocking Fernando Alonso from over taking him when Massa was told by his race engineer that “Fernando is faster than you”. Massa being the proven pushover that he is, grumpily slowed down for the No.1 Ferrari driver to go past him.

Ever since this incident race pundits, fans and ex-racers have called for Ferrari to be punished severely. Existing Formula One teams like Red-Bull and Mercedes GP have acknowledged that team orders, although not obviously blatant, do exist. This makes it even easier for hierarchy driven teams like Ferrari to bend rules. Personally I feel that a sulky Alonso must have groaned to his engineer that he didn’t like the sight of Massa in front of him and threw a tantrum to get him out of his way. I have seen Massa getting pushed over enough times to finally say that that man has to learn to be a bit more aggressive.

Moving over next to the Hungarian Grand Prix, we again watched in disbelief as Michael Schumacher intentionally drove Rubens Barrichello to almost crash into the wall. A petrified Barrichello shouted “That was horrible!” into the team radio while Schumacher must have probably been grinning. Later, in the post race interviews Schumacher went as far as saying there was nothing wrong in the challenge (Although he later apologized after intense pressure) .

The point to be taken out of these two incidents is that the pressure of winning or leading is increasingly driving teams and drivers to the limits where it could also be considered in the purview of cheating or foul play. Michael Schumacher for all his greatness has been involved in incidents of questionable legality (Schumi-Hill and Schumi-Villeneuve collisions and 2002 Australian Grand prix team orders).The amount of times he’s gotten away with misdemeanours in a high incident sport where people have died, baffles me. He has been demoted ten grid places for the next race, but will it be enough to dissuade a man bent on not letting anyone by him? Somebody tell him that’s what a race is about.

As for Ferrari’s obsession with blatant team orders, the governing council is yet to give their verdict on the German grand prix. Let’s hope for a change, points are deducted and drivers are stripped of their positions. If not, then F1 is just going to be a sport where you can get away with any kind of fun killing nonsense. Why have race stewards or a body of rules when nobody is going to follow them and get away scot free on a technicality? It’s just going to instil a new rule breaking confidence in teams and drivers which might be too much for the race authorities to deal with.

Look at me! I like driving people up a wall!