Mika Häkkinen on team orders at Ferrari/Mercedes: “Then they’ll be crucified”

After team orders comes more team orders: most recently, at the Dutch Grand Prix, George Russell was asked to make way for Kimi Antonelli, who was closing in. It wouldn’t have been necessary, as the Italian was faster on fresher tyres anyway.

The situation was less clear-cut at Ferrari, where Lewis Hamilton demanded over the radio that Leclerc make way. The Monegasque had no intention of doing so. Valuable seconds ticked away, and Hamilton subsequently believed this had cost him a podium finish.

Mika Häkkinen has arrived in Monza. The 57-year-old Finn has spoken out on the sensitive topic of team orders, pointing out that the top teams are walking a fine line in this regard.

The 1998 and 1999 Formula 1 champion said: “I can well understand why Hamilton got upset at Zandvoort. In moments like that, emotions can quickly boil over. But this isn’t just about emotions; it’s about common sense.”

Der zweifache Formel-1-Weltmeister Mika Häkkinen

Foto: XPB

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“What we all tend to forget from time to time is that we – as outsiders – have more information at our disposal than the driver who’s in the middle of a battle. We can often grasp the bigger picture better.”

“Hamilton was chasing Leclerc; he didn’t have access to all the data that the Ferrari specialists were poring over. And when communication isn’t going well, people end up ranting over the radio. So far, so normal.”

The 20-time Grand Prix winner elaborates: “The crux of the matter for me, however, is that teams should be extremely cautious when it comes to team orders. They really should only resort to them when there is absolutely no other option. Communication plays a vital role in this whole discussion. After all, all these drivers have huge fan bases, and if a team like Ferrari or Mercedes favours one driver over another, they run the risk of being crucified by the fans.”

“It was a bit different in my day. My main rival back then was Michael Schumacher in the Ferrari, and the Italians used team orders right from the first race. They knew that Schumi was the man who would bring them the most wins and had the best chance of winning the title. So he had Ferrari’s full support.”

“We at McLaren had a different philosophy. McLaren wanted to give both drivers the same opportunities. Team orders regarding the Drivers’ Championship were only issued once the title was mathematically out of reach for one of the drivers.”

“Today, the teams don’t just want to win the Drivers’ Championship, but above all the Constructors’ Championship. So they make sure that the best team result is achieved every time, even at the risk of this meaning team orders for one driver or the other.”