Ferrari face more criticism

Lotus Racing's chief technical officer Mike Gascoyne claims Formula One fans will feel cheated by Ferrari in yesterday's German Grand Prix.

Gascoyne was left astonished at how badly Ferrari botched making a team call that resulted in them being fined $100,000 and facing the prospect of further sanctions.

Gascoyne, one of the most experienced men in F1 having previously worked for a raft of teams, has revealed team orders have, and always will exist - you just do not make such a ham-fisted attempt at them.

‘There are team orders, and we have to accept there will be. It was just handled very badly,’ said Gascoyne.

‘Of course, there will come a point in the season when you have to prioritise one driver because he has the best chance of winning a championship. You've got to do what's best for the team.

‘In this case they were going to get a one-two anyway. But is this the right stage of the season to be doing what they did?

‘The bottom line is if you are going to do it then do so far more cleverly than they did.

‘Obviously it is a team sport and you have to get the best result for the team, in particular when you are at the front and racing for a championship.

‘But it is clear the fans feel cheated by it when you do it like they did, which was just ridiculous.’

Gascoyne is at a loss to understand why Ferrari, with all their experience, called the shots in the way they did.

In particular as it was a blatant team order handed out by then boss Jean Todt, now FIA president, that saw Rubens Barrichello slow on the final lap of the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix to allow Michael Schumacher to claim the win.

That incident brought the current regulation into place that strictly prohibits team orders.

‘There was an outcry in Austria because it was so blatant as it was on the last lap,’ added Gascoyne.

‘So you would have thought Ferrari would have learned because it wasn't much less blatant.

‘Make him pass you under braking at least. Don't lift off out of the corner because in doing that you are making a statement.

‘Where the fans feel cheated is having done that, to then sit in the press conference and say 'No, that wasn't the case', and 'Of course there wasn't a team order'.

‘Well, there clearly was.

‘Ferrari and Formula One have to learn that the people watching do not like it.

‘I'm on Twitter and the feedback was unanimous, that the fans feel cheated.

‘So the team bosses have to take note that people don't want to see it, but if you are going to do it then you have to do so cleanly and fairly.

‘As professionals you have to handle it differently.’

Gascoyne, though, has admitted to feeling a degree of sympathy with Ferrari given the championship situation and the pressure they were likely under.

‘If they are going to win the drivers' championship, Fernando is the only one who is going to do it and you have to prioritise,’ said Gascoyne.

‘But you just do it in a much better way. Don't announce things over the radio to the world's media, and if you do, expect to get slaughtered for it.’