Tough stand by FIA on team orders

By Andrew Hooper
December 1 2002

 

 

  
Tough stand by FIA
 
With the FIA banning the use of team orders in the 2003 Formula One season many have questioned as to how the FIA will put an end to this practice. Despite this the FIA has made it very clear that they are going to take a very tough stand on this issue. FIA President Max Mosley has made it clear that anyone even suspected of using the tactic would be reported to the race stewards.

In an interview with ITV-F1 Mosley said: "If you're policing it you have to catch somebody. Obviously if it's an absolutely in-your-face thing like Austria, it is an open-and-shut case. But, if people try to do it subtly, if the public can see it, we can see it. If you see something suspicious like one of two drivers has been fast all through the weekend and he's been leading the race until two-thirds distance, comes in for his second pit stop and they lose one of the rear wheels, then the race director would probably report this to the stewards."

"The stewards would be tempted to draw the inference that this was deliberate and this was team orders being implemented secretly. The team would be given a hearing and we would listen to their defence and the stewards would then decide and if the team weren't happy with the decision they could go the court of appeal. In real life, most crimes are convicted because you can draw an inference from all the circumstances."

As for the penalties that would be imposed Mosley has said that a race suspension would be appropriate.

He added: "They would get a race suspension. But that would be a matter for the stewards and then on to the court of appeal if there was one. But the most obvious thing would be a race suspension, depending on how serious the case was."

"That's why we don't have fixed penalties because it's very tempting to have them but then each case is different and there are often mitigating circumstances. To fix a race at the beginning of the season in favour of one driver is very different from fixing it at the end of the season when the championship is at stake."
 
 
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