The two teammates ran in first and second position with less than 20 laps to go, to the finish. Perhaps by virtue of the duo driving for the dominant team in Formula One, victory was assured. The dilemma, in a situation like this, is whether allowing the two drivers to battle for victory is worth the possibility of them, 1) crashing and taking each other out, 2) one or both overdriving and taking themselves out, or 3) the pair using up their tires and/or fuel battling each other and thus allowing the opposition to close. With championships—and, more importantly, a larger share of the Formula One financial spoils—at risk in the mix, the call from the team is made to “hold your positions.” The lead driver breathes out a deep sigh of relief and subtly backs off, just a smidge. With the pressure off, all he has to do now is pray that nothing breaks in these last few laps…WHAT THE %$%&!!! No sooner does the lead driver let down his guard than his “teammate” dives down underneath him—scaring the crap out of him—and, many would say, unjustly snatching the lead and the win, from his be-gloved clutches. Is this a saga ripped from today’s headlines or a page from days gone by? Yes.
If you’re following this year’s Formula One championship, than the above-mentioned episode will be all too familiar to you. Red Bull teammates Mark Webber and Sebastien Vettel had the Malaysian Grand Prix comfortably in hand with 12 laps to go and Webber in the lead, when the word over the radio from team principal Christian Horner was essentially: “Hold station.” Tire degradation from Pirelli’s seemingly ricotta-filled tires this year created the very real possibility that, if the two were allowed to go hammer and tongs for the last 12 laps, their tires might not make the distance. The resulting stop for fresh rubber would then potentially hand the win to Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and his teammate Nico Rosberg. But perhaps even more painful for Red Bull than the race loss would be the 43 manufacturer points that would also be lost. Those could end up costing the team millions of dollars at the end of the year when F1’s spoils are divvied out among the top teams. Yet despite the clear team orders, Vettel consciously chose to pass his unsuspecting teammate and snatch away the victory. The winner’s podium looked like a wake.
