P1racenews AI automatic summary:
May 12th marks 22 years since the infamous 2002 Austrian Grand Prix – one of the worst days of the Michael Schumacher – Ferrari axis.
Team orders have been a long-standing element in motorsport, with teams occasionally needing to manipulate race outcomes by instructing drivers to change positions. In Formula 1 history, some infamous instances of team orders include Ferrari ordering Felipe Massa to let Fernando Alonso win at the 2010 German Grand Prix. Red Bull faced controversy in 2013 when Sebastian Vettel ignored team orders to pass teammate Mark Webber in Malaysia. Mercedes notably requested Valtteri Bottas to yield to Lewis Hamilton in Russia in 2018 to benefit Hamilton’s championship bid. One of the most infamous team-order controversies occurred in 2002, when Ferrari instructed Rubens Barrichello to let Michael Schumacher win in Austria, leading to backlash and a hefty fine from the FIA. Ultimately, due to the uproar, FIA president Max Mosley implemented a ban on team orders starting from the 2003 season in Formula 1.
