Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso says thatdrivers are ‘obliged’ to follow team orders when they are given from the pit gantry.
Alonso was asked by a young journalist if “you have ever received a team order you did not responded to?”
Alonso replied, “No. Normally when the team says something you must obey, because they have all the information and [they] know what’s going on.”
“You can ask them on the radio why you have to do something [which they have requested] to try and understand the order, but you must always obey,” added the Spaniard.
Famously at the 2010 German GP Alonso’s teammate at the time, Felipe Massa, was informed by his engineer, “Fernando is faster than you. Can you confirm you understood that message?”
This was a thinly veiled team order for Massa to allow Alonso to get past, which the Brazilian did much to his consternation.
In 2014 Kimi Raikkonen rejoins Ferrari as teammate to Alonso. (GP247)
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