10 Biggest Formula One Controversies
7. Ferrari's Team Orders At The 2002 Austrian Grand Prix
Back in the early 2000s, Ferrari were spearheaded by legendary German driver Michael Schumacher alongside Rubens Barrichello. They had already won both the Drivers' and Constructors' title in 2000 and 2001. In the 2001 Austrian Grand Prix, Ferrari had ordered Barrichello to relinquish his 2nd place to Schumacher in order to help bolster the latter's title bid. They had reassured that they would not ask him to sacrifice a win.
Heading into the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix, Schumacher was leading the championship by 44 points, had won 4 of the opening 5 races and was a shoo-in for another title success.
On lap 63, Ferrari team principal Jean Todt repeated the previous year's team order for 'the championship'. Whilst Rubens reminded Todt of their promise the previous year, Todt held firm and as such, Barrichello pulled over for Schumacher on the final corner of the last lap to surrender the win.
This left Formula One fans in uproar which was compounded by the fact Schumacher sheepishly pushed Barrichello to the top step of the podium during the ceremony and gave him the winner's trophy. The FIA then fined Ferrari $1 million for 'breaching podium protocol' and instituted a rule banning team orders in 2003.
This rule against team orders lasted until 2010 when Ferrari used a coded message telling Felipe Massa to concede to his teammate Fernando Alonso. Since then, the FIA repealed the ban on team orders as it was deemed to be unenforceable.