Monday, May 28, 2007

McLaren Under Investigation for Team Orders


By Speedracer

McLaren is facing possible sanctions for employing team orders in the wake of comments made by team boss Ron Dennis and rookie driver Lewis Hamilton after the team's dominating one-two finish at the weekend's Monte Carlo Grand Prix.

Fernando Alonso won with Hamilton finishing second, slowing towards the end of the race and pitting out of sequence.

"I was fuelled to go five or six laps longer than Fernando, and they stopped me after only three laps," said Hamilton. "I caught Fernando but it is extremely difficult to overtake here and I was told over the radio to take it easy."

"I make no excuses for instructing the racing drivers to slow their pace after the first stop and to affect our strategy based on probability of safety cars," said Dennis. "And whatever other cars can threaten us as a result of the safety car being deployed."

Team orders were banned after a spate of embarassing incidents involving the Ferrari team culminating in the disastrous 2002 Austrian Grand Prix where Rubens Barrichello slowed his Ferrari metres from the finish to gift teammate Michael Schumacher the win.

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