Team orders overshadow Alonso win

Fernando Alonso kept himself in the race for the Formula 1 title with a win at the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim.

But the victory was overshadowed by the decision by Ferrari to order Alonso’s team mate, Felipe Massa, to move over and let the Spaniard through. The coded message, delivered to Massa over the team radio, contravenes F1 regulations and led to race stewards fining Ferrari $100,000 after the race.

The stewards also referred the case to the sport’s governing body, the FIA’s World Motor Sports Council, which will decide if further punishment is necessary. However, Ferrari have denied any wrongdoing and said the incident was a driver decision.

Massa, who was 31 points behind Alonso before the race, finished second, with Sebastian Vettel third for Red Bull. The McLarens of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button were fourth and fifth, with the second Red Bull of Mark Webber in sixth.

The drama cast a pall over what was a dominant drive by Ferrari after a season that had previously failed to see the team shine. Massa, starting from third place on the grid, leapfrogged both Alonso and pole-sitter Vettel at the start and held onto the lead until lap 47, when his engineer Rob Smedley came on the radio.

“OK, so, Fernando is faster than you. Please confirm that you understand,” he said. Two laps later, Massa slowed and allowed Alonso to drive past. Smedley came on the radio once again and said: “Good lad. Just stick with now. Sorry.”

Alonso went on to win by 4.1 seconds. Massa’s body language and his reaction in the press conference after the race suggested he was far from pleased.

The result means that Hamilton still leads the driver’s championship standings with 157 points, ahead of Button in second on 143. Vettel remains in third, tied for points with Webber on 136. Alonso is in fifth on 123.

The next race is the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring on Sunday, August 1.

Tags: Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, Formula 1, German Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton, Mark Webber, Mclaren, Motorsport, Red Bull, Sebastian Vettel