Tom speaks out against Ferrari team orders

Will F1 recover ?
By Huw Alban
May 14 2002

Arrows boss Tom Walkinshaw has joined the line of F1 team bosses that have spoken out against the Ferrari team’s actions at the end of the Austrian Grand Prix. In his opinion the sport has lost credibility, something that will take a long time to regain.

Ferrari dominated the Austrian Grand Prix, with Rubens Barrichello in front of his team-mate Michael Schumacher. Barrichello had been the faster driver all weekend, but the team still asked him to pull over and allow Schumacher through to take the win and the points. Ferrari say that they took the decision in the best interests of the drivers’ championship, something that Schumacher leads with a healthy margin. Fans in the grandstands booed the Ferrari team in parc fermé and on the podium, and the team have been asked to appear before the FIA to answer claims that they have brought the sport into disrepute.

Tom Walkinshaw is concerned that the sport has been severely damaged by Ferrari’s actions on Sunday. “You have to question whether it is okay for that to happen anytime. But they were one and two and getting maximum constructors points anyway so it was about the drivers’ championship and I don’t think drivers should be allowed to give way,” Tom has been quoted as saying by ITV-F1.com.

“I think it’s done a huge amount of damage. We’ve got a serious sport which normally runs very well and incidents like this do nothing for the credibility of anyone in it.”

Fan comment on the Ferrari site here at SportNetwork suggests that they are glad that the FIA have been seen to take some action, but most are expecting the sport’s governing body to do no more than slap Ferrari on the wrist for being a ‘naughty team’. If Ferrari do claim both championships this year then I suspect that most fans will refuse to recognise it.