Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Suzuka, 2019

Leclerc: Ferrari will ensure team orders are obeyed

2019 Russian Grand Prix

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Charles Leclerc says Ferrari will make sure their drivers follow team orders after Sebastian Vettel repeatedly disobeyed instructions during the Russian Grand Prix.

Vettel was told three times to let Leclerc past in the opening stages of the last race at Sochi but refused to, and eventually stopped responding to the team’s demands. Asked whether Ferrari expects its drivers to follow their instructions, Leclerc said: “I think that’s clear from the beginning of season we need to obey team orders.

“And what is clear is that the situation wasn’t clear for both of the drivers starting the race. I think that’s the most important so we spoke about it and we’ll make sure this situation doesn’t happen again in the future.”

Leclerc confirmed he met with team principal Mattia Binotto, but not Vettel, following the last race.

“I had some things happening on the day [Vettel] was in Maranello so we didn’t have the chance to meet up together. “But I had a meeting with Mattia, he had one with Seb the day earlier, and everything is fine.”

Ferrari made an arrangement with its drivers on how they would handle the start of the race in Russia. Leclerc allowed Vettel to overtake him, after which Vettel was told twice to expect a call to let Leclerc by.

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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22 comments on “Leclerc: Ferrari will ensure team orders are obeyed”

  1. Will they? Now I am curious what Seb says when asked – I expect it to be not too unlike his reactions at the “multi21” times.

    1. @bascb haven’t they?

      1. Not at all @m-bagattini. Charles first ignored them – the team had to “repair” it by handing Vettel the race in Singapore. Then Vettel ignored them repeatedly, and the team “solved” it by giving it to charles in the pitstops.

        That means both will be wary of the other double crossing, they will be pushing to get the team behind themselves to be able to so themselves and they will question team instructions because they fear the team is going behind their back to “right” something they did.

        With Multi 21 Vettel said outright that he wouldn’t obey instructions if he didn’t feel they were to his advantage.

        1. @bascb they swapped them. That’s fine.

          1. They won’t be able to do that all the time and it would set bad blood. I think that what Vettel has said to German media “it was not right to ignore team orders” might mean the message did get through though.

  2. Charles starting to become extremely whiny on radio it was pathetic in Sochi sucking up to Ferrari but i bet if Ferrari say to you stay behind Vettel you will be going mad, and you rightly already ignored an order yaself in Bahrain this year. Anyway it will probably not matter as you are a different breed of driver to vettel.

    1. He is not man to accept to reap what he has sown.

  3. If Ferrari wants to micro-manage every little turn, why don’t they just use robots?

    1. What do you think the “Bot” in “Bottas” stands for? F1 are trialing a version of a robot at Mercedes ;-)

    2. @sunnchilde if you’re a better manager why aren’t you in place of Binotto?

      1. Oh come on, trying to have an arrangement from the outcome of the start of a race is utter madness. You qualify where you qualify and where you end up after the 1st corner is where you end up. Done. It’s pathetic that this was (IMO) solely done for Charles after what Ferrari did to him in Singapore. Something which was also organised from the very beginning. I’m not talking knowingly putting Seb in front, but knowingly done to get a 1-2.

  4. I’m okay with that as long as they only interfere when there are very clear differences in strategy and also when there’s not a driver from another team just 2 seconds behind.

  5. In Bahrain, Charles disobeyed team orders, but was praised for it, yet when Vettel does it he becomes the villain, double standards much.

    1. We love this kind of drama. A bit of disobedience.

      Nobody is gonna praise him for some exciting team order obedience.

      What would we say if Vettel moved over on the end of first lap? We’d write how his career is over and he has no fight in him left.

      But as it is they are establishing fight rules, where and how punches can be dealt, what is under the waist, no chewing of ears, hitting the back of the gearbox etc.

      They need to establish those rules and then let them get on with winning. Every weekend where they lose it is mostly down to them messing it up. And that is unacceptable.

  6. Did Vettel really disobey team orders??

    Not really if you ask me

    First request lap 6, seb says let’s breakaway for 2 laps to which engineer agrees.

    Second request lap 7, seb replies close the gap.

    Third request lap 8 seb doesn’t reply as leclerc has dropped further behind.

    Sebs says let’s breakaway for 2 laps on lap 6 to which engineer agrees and then subsequently they request he let’s Charles by on those 2 laps.

    Seb was getting contradicting messages but the big issue is they kept telling Charles seb would let him past over those laps when seb had never acknowledged he would do so at that point, hence leclercs frustration

    Ultimately seb toed the line during pit stop phase by staying out on worn tyres until Charles was ahead. If he was hell bent on being defiant he would have pitted lap after Charles and kept lead as it’s not like team wouldn’t have serviced the car like normal

    1. ‘Ultimately seb toed the line during pit stop phase by staying out on worn tyres until Charles was ahead ‘

      Hahahahaha – seriously? Rightly or wrongly Seb was hung out to dry to teach him a lesson; drivers do not dictate when they pit, strategists do.

    2. EXACTLY! This is what I said as well, some people said ferrari forced the swap, and I answered that vettel could’ve said box this lap and pitted whenever he wanted, then if ferrari wants to throw away a potential 1-2 and make it hard to even win by being 1 vs 2 vs mercedes, they’re free to not change vettel’s tyres.

  7. Charles continuing to not-so-subtly become the Ferrari #1 in the paddock and on the track.

  8. No questioning this guy’s talented but I’m really starting to not like him.

  9. Good grief! I’m finding this entire discussion about team orders at Ferrari just so cringe-worthy. Why on Earth would you talk about this openly and air your dirty laundry in public? The radio messages back and forth, when talking to the media, all the time, non-stop. It makes Charles look like a whiny child, Seb look like an unhappy driver, and it makes the team look like they’re unable to keep their drivers in check by indulging the discussion. I’m not taking sides in this, but for goodness sake, be quiet and get on with winning. Someone, please make them stop!!!

  10. Seb is hired to be the lead driver and win.
    You’re onboard to support him, obey as a number 2 in equal situations, learn and prepare to take over in the future. Don’t be a spoiled kiddo – head down, do as agreed and your time will come. But it is not now, yet.

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