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Team orders are an essential part of F1. Principals might sometimes decide to prioritize one of the drivers and to prevent the two from battling each other.
In usual scenarios, a driver obeys the orders and lets their teammate pass for the position ahead. In the long history of the sport, however, there have been moments when these orders sparked major controversies.
Although radios were not a part of F1 in the earlier seasons, teams would still issue orders to their drivers during a pitstop. At the time, pit stops were not as quick as they are today, and changing the tires took a lot of time.
This was the perfect opportunity for the teams to interact with their drivers. They would also show certain flags to indicate the plans and let the driver behind them pass in some of the races.
While team radios sound like a natural part of Formula 1, it does not guarantee that the drivers would thoroughly comply or the FIA would ignore them. Here are some of the most controversial team radios in the history of the sport.
#5 Belgium F1 1998: Jordan's Damon Hill and Ralf Schumacher
The drenched Belgian GP of 1998 somehow gave Jordan an excellent chance at delivering a 1-2 finish for the team with Damon Hill leading from Ralf Schumacher.
The latter, however, was lapping faster than him. In a race that was filled with incidents, the team did not want the two drivers to battle each other and cause damage.
Hill made his way to the chequered flag as team orders were passed and Schumacher finished in second place, seemingly disappointed by the decision.
#4 Germany 2010: Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa
"OK. Fernando is faster than you. Confirm you understood the message?"
This subtle message for race leader Felipe Massa during the 2010 German GP came as team orders were still banned in F1. His race engineer Rob Smedley messaged him, hinting that his teammate, Fernando Alonso, should be allowed to pass for the victory.
Interestingly, this race proved to the FIA that it was impossible for teams to stop issuing orders to their drivers and lifted the ban from the 2011 season. The ban was set after the 2002 incident involving Ferrari. So, it was the Italian team because of which the ban was introduced and also lifted almost a decade later.
#3 Malaysia 2013: Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber
Back in his dominating era, four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel was desperate enough to win every single race he could. This became apparent with the 2013 F1 Malaysian GP.
During the race, his teammate, Mark Webber, was to get ahead of the German and thus the team ordered Vettel with "Multi-21."
This was a direct order for him to give way for his teammate to get ahead, which he disobeyed. The two battled for the position, but it was Vettel who emerged victorious in the end. During a later interview, he uttered the famous words, reflecting on the earlier race:
"...the bottom line is that, I was racing, I was faster, I passed him, I won."
#2 Brazil 2022: Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez
In a dominating 2022 F1 season where Red Bull was winning almost every other race, the Brazilian GP came as a hammer for them. World champion Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez were racing at P6 and P7.
The latter had let his teammate pass on lap 67 to let him attack and get ahead of Fernando Alonso at P5.
Upon failing to do so, Verstappen was asked by the team to let Perez get back ahead of him at the final lap, which he directly disobeyed. After the race was over, he spoke on his team radio:
"I told you already last summer, you guys don't ask that again to me. Okay? Are we clear about that? I gave my reasons and I stand by it."
That place was essential for Perez's battle with Charles Leclerc for the second place in the championship, which he ultimately lost at the end of the season.
#1 Austria 2002: Ferrari's Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello
"Rubens, it's last lap. Let Michael pass for the championship, let Michael pass for the championship. Rubens, please."
This is one of the most infamous radio orders in F1, so much so that the FIA decided to ban team orders for almost a decade after this.
During the 2002 F1 Austrian GP, Rubens Barrichello was leading the race and was on the verge of victory when, on the final lap, he was asked to give the position to Micahel Schumacher. Jean Todt, then team principal of Ferrari, issued the orders.
What outraged the fans more was the fact that the exact same incident occurred exactly a year back during the same race in 2001.
Schumacher, as a sign of respect, let Barrichello stand on the top podium and gave him the winner's trophy. While some might have appreciated this gesture, Ferrari ended up with a $1 million fine from the FIA. Team orders were then banned from F1.
These were some of the moments in F1 that raised controversies about teams and drivers. Team orders still are a part of the sport. No matter how much independence a driver might have, if a team feels they have to stop letting their drivers battle, orders would be given.
