Ferrari’s 1-2 Policy is Nothing New

Kimi Raikkonen’s post-race conduct confirmed he was not expecting to have the Monaco Grand Prix victory taken away from him and gifted to his teammate, Sebastian Vettel.  

Of course, you may not believe Vettel’s inheritance of the race lead and consequent victory was a result of a pre-orchestrated plan by the Ferrari team but the shell-shocked conduct displayed by the 37-year-old Finn on the podium all but confirms he is now fully aware he is the Italian team’s proverbial lamb for sacrificial slaughter.

And it should be no surprise to him or anyone.  Felipe Massa was Ferrari’s whipping boy for four seasons (2010-2013), during this period he collected just two silver medals. Meanwhile his teammate, Fernando Alonso, made 28 visits to one of the top two steps of the podium during the same period.

OK, there was a vast gulf in class between the duo but few will forget the famous words “Fernando is faster than you” which made it was through Massa’s earpiece during the 2010 German Grand Prix. It was, of course, a coded message for ‘move over and allow your teammate by’.

Eight years earlier at the Austrian Grand Prix Ferrari were responsible for the most famous ‘team orders’ incident when Rubens Barrichello was forced to give Michael Schumacher a race win yielding after the final corner of the race and within yards of the line.

And so it is very clear the arrangements within the current Ferrari team is a Top Gun scenario albeit with Raikkonen, the Iceman, playing wingman to Maverick, Sebastian Vettel.

But where does this put the team’s principle rivals, Mercedes?  Well, it is abundantly clear the German car struggled around Monaco with its high-downforce demands. That should see it also suffer at Hungary, Singapore and Abu Dhabi. Conversely, it may rule supreme at the recognised low downforce venues such as Italy, Belgium and Japan.

So the best races between the teams may come at the common ground circuits such as Canada (this weekend’s race) and Silverstone.  The $64 million question at these and any venue is the potential call from the Mercedes pit-lane to Valtteri Bottas ordering him to forfeit a race lead, handing it to Lewis Hamilton.

Twice this season already Bottas has backed up the pack in order to help Hamilton albeit he then won the Russian Grand Prix and finished ahead of Hamilton in Monaco. The situation whereby the better finishing position (and points) can be switched from Bottas to the British No. 1 has yet to arise but most pundits would expect the first-season Mercedes driver, possessing just a one year contract with the team, will be instructed to yield and will do so on demand.