Respect: The
fundamental factor in determining whether a driver will obey or defy a command
from their team. Team orders have been
prevalent ever since the first roar of a Formula One engine vibrated through
the air, imprinting itself on a multitude of eardrums. Since the dawn of the driver’s championship
in 1956, calls to follow instructions from the team have been met with
obedience, or defiance demonstrating the level of respect a driver possesses both
for the man in equal machinery and the team they drive for.
In the opening years of Formula One, team orders were more
extreme, with leading drivers in a team often commandeering the car of a team
mate if a mechanical failure or incident on track were to befall them. Going into the 1956 season as a triple world
champion, Juan Manuel Fangio enjoyed team leader status at Ferrari. In the closing race of the season at Monza,
the Argentinean’s retirement left his team mate, Peter Collins, with the
opportunity to grab the championship for himself. However, in a display of
gallant respect for Fangio, he willingly sacrificed his own car, and
chances, so that Juan Manuel could cross the finishing line to claim his fourth
championship victory. To surrender one’s
own ambitions for another shows an immense amount of respect for his team mate.
Collins’ respect for Fangio may have been bolstered by the Argentinian’s own
compliance with a request that he allow team mate to both drivers at the time, Stirling
Moss, past to win the 1955 British Grand Prix.
Being a value that is fluidic between two parties, respect shown for
another can invite it to be returned.
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| Fangio and Collins. Photo:www.autoevolution.com |
A driver on the
receiving end of both a call to obey an order and being disadvantaged by
defiance of one was Gilles Villeneuve. Team mate Jody Schekter was helped to win the
1979 driver’s title after Gilles dutifully abided by Ferrari’s wish that the
South African take the victory in Monza, leaving himself second in the race and
championship. Exhibiting respect for Ferrari and his team
mate in this way did not, however, help him three years later at Imola in
1982. Gilles’ team mate Didier Peroni
won the race, or as Gilles believed, pillaged what should have been his victory,
after Peroni rebelled against the Ferrari rule that drivers stay in the
positions held when initially reaching first and second positions. This disregard
for team orders had devastating consequences, as unable to free himself from
the fog of fury, and determined to secure pole position over Peroni, Villenueve
attacked qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix with a fervour that resulted in
the tragic loss of his life.
Destructive in definition, defiance of team orders is
damaging to relationships within a team.
Relations at Williams became strained after the 1981 Brazilian Grand
Prix. Team orders stated that reigning
Champion Alan Jones should be handed the lead should a one-two situation
arise. At only round two of the season,
Carlos Reutemann paraded his umbrage at this by preventing Jones from
passing. Bad blood broiled between the
two becoming a contributing factor in the retirement of Jones at the end of the season. A subsequent row with team boss, Frank
Williams signalled his departure from Formula One following the 1982 Brazilian
Grand Prix, a year after his rebellion.
The lack of respect for the team made evident by his insubordination was
clearly an issue that didn’t go away.
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| Jones and Reutemann with Frank Williams. Photo: Supplied |
Another team mate relationship damaged by refusal to comply
was the one between fellow French drivers Rene Arnoux and Alain Prost. Having previously shown the fervour and
desire Arnoux had for victory in France through his exhilarating battle with
Villenueve at Dijon in 1979, perhaps patriotism and longing to win a home race
clouded his judgement at Paul Ricard 1982, when he refused to concede the
victory to Renault team leader Prost. In
a season that saw the highest number of race winners in the history of the
sport, the points lost were vital.
Not being their usual policy to elect a clear number one
driver, prior agreements to safeguard maximum points for the team was a
familiar approach at McLaren. It was one
of these agreements that caused Prost to suffer another injustice. Following a restart at the San Marino Grand
Prix in 1989, Ayrton Senna reneged on a pre race agreement stating that the
driver in the lead at the first turn will be left to lead the race. The incident added fuel to an already
simmering fire between the team mates. A
similar agreement was in place prior to the 1998 Australian Grand Prix. Having reached turn one in first place, Mika
Hakkinen was the driver to benefit from the team orders in order to take
victory. Mid way through the race, he
lost his position to team mate David Coulthard following a mysterious call to
come into the pits, leaving Coulthard to honour his part of the deal by handing
back the place at the end of the race.
Though condemned for this move, the respect the Scot held for his team
and team mate was clearly apparent.
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| Coulthard hands back the lead. Photo: www.magnoliabox.com |
With team orders being such a prickly subject, drivers
should take lessons from the past to help them handle it correctly. While obsequiously obeying team orders
ensures a harmonious working environment, defiance can have devastating effects.
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