Share

Did team orders cost Williams the win?

LONDON, England -  After launching off the grid and into the lead Williams was left to rue an opportunity lost at the 2015 British GP (July 5)

Part of the reason the Silverstone race was so exciting was because Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas got a surprise jump on the two Mercedes at the start.

Then came 'team orders'...

BOTTAS FASTER?

Williams told the charging Bottas to hold station rather than attack Massa's leading car, even though some believe the Bottas would have raced into the distance had he been free to do so.

Bottas told Finnish broadcaster MTV3: "At the beginning I had good pace and at one point I would have been able to get past (Massa) but the team told me not to."

Ultimately, through pit stops and inclement weather, Williams finished behind the two Mercedes and Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel.

Bottas thinks the team may have made a clear tactical mistake.

He said: "We will have to look at whether we should have made different decisions. I don't want to criticise team decisions as I guess there was a reason for it. I just don't know what."

Bottas clarified to Turun Sanomat newspaper that he did not want Massa to receive a 'team order' to move over.

'THAT WAS NOT RACING'

He said: "That is not racing. "But it would have been nice to be able to overtake him when I had the opportunity."

Pat Symonds, Williams' highly experienced technical chief, said the early instruction was given to Bottas to "make sure we didn't slow each other down". He said: "Valtteri felt faster, and maybe he was."

Bottas admitted: "I can see why the team wanted us to avoid fighting each other at that moment.  We were in a strong position and fighting could have cost us time.  That's what they thought.

"For me it was disappointing, but of course it is easy to say that afterwards."

Team deputy Claire Williams said: "It is easy to look at the race afterwards and say what you would do differently. We did what we thought would be best for the team.

"The guys on the pitwall are not sitting there thinking about how to destroy races."

As for what might have happened if Bottas had been freed, Williams added: "I don't know.  What you do have to say is that the Mercedes is a great car that at the moment is faster than ours."

Stay with Wheels24 for the 2015 F1 season.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()