F1: Formula 1 Infamous Controversies and Disputes

Formula 1 has a rich history of run-ins involving its drivers, teams and even the structural designs of their race cars.  Head to head battles between F1 drivers are common frills in the Grand Prix.  Even to the point that teammates are also battling each other for the championship podium.  F1 teams have their own internal squabbles involving their drivers and management.  Here are some infamous controversies in the Formula 1 racing in the past and current seasons.

Ferrari Team Order

Ferrari made another headline in the German F1 GP in July 2010 with its controversial team order on its drivers.  Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa finished 1-2 in the podium in Hockenheim after both Ferrari leading most of the race.  Controversy sets in after Felipe Massa, who was leading the race, gave way to Alonso in the latter lap for the podium finish.  Alonso is still in contention for the season’s driver championship and with his win at Hockenheim improved his position for a championship finish. 

The Italian team was fined with US $100,000 for the breach of the regulations.  The Hockenheim stewards cited an infringement by Ferrari of Article 39.1 of the 2010 Sporting Regulations which states that "Team orders which interfere with a race result are prohibited" and Article 151 c) of the International Sporting Code "Any of the following offences (…) shall be deemed to be a breach of these rules (...) any fraudulent conduct or any act prejudicial to the interests of any competition or to the interests of motor sport generally".

The Scuderia Ferrari team might be facing a disciplinary action from FIA World Motor Sport Council for this team action during the race.  It might cost their chance of finishing in the top three of both driver and constructor’s championship once disciplinary actions will be meted out.  The disciplinary hearing of the FIA World Council will be on September 8, 2010 in Paris France to be headed by the FIA Deputy President for Sport.

F1 Spygate Scandal

In 2007, McLaren were booted out from the constructors’ championship in 2007 because of a controversy involving its team and championship rival Ferrari.  Team McLaren was also fined with a record $100 M after important documents proved the controversy.

The hullabaloo involves Ferrari’s Nigel Stepney providing McLaren’s senior engineer Mike Coughlan with technical information on Ferrari’s race cars.  Both F1 personnel were suspended by their team and causing an internal spat within McLaren.

Documents collected revealed that there were emails between McLaren driver Fernando Alonso, test drivers Mike Coughlan and Pedro Dela Rosa showing signs of incriminatory behavior to their team.  There could have been prior team instructions from management wherein these drivers behave indifferently.  Team principal driver Lewis Hamilton and Alonso have already established a grudging rivalry between themselves sans the intervention of their team officials.  With the turmoil going on between the McLarens, the Prancing Horse of Ferrari came from behind the Silver Arrows in the last GP race to steal the driver’s title from the battling McLarens by only a single point.  The Spygate Scandal of F1 has divided the McLaren F1 team into shambles with Ferrari’s Kimi Raikonnen winning the title by a single point over the warring Alonso and Hamilton.  This controversy in the 2007 GP season has broken the potential winning driver combo of both Hamilton and Alonso for McLaren.

Flexi-wing Disputes

Before the GP season starts, McLaren protested that Red Bull Racing and Ferrari F1 teams have installed performance-enhancing front wings deemed to be illegally attached structures in F1 cars.    These flexi-wings, as McLaren alleged, do not conform to FIA regulations on structural enhancement of team’s race cars.  These wings provide more downward thrust to the chassis of the car providing more traction and maneuverability in corners and chicanes of the race circuits.

The Double Diffusers Row

Brawn Mercedes constructor’s championship was the talk of the FIA F1 Grand Prix season in 2009.   In the first grand prix race at Australia, F1 teams of Brawn, Toyota and Williams came out with their double decker diffusers during the qualifying race.  These new, enhanced structural designs have made great impressions and results leaving other teams in awe.  These F1 teams blew their competition to pieces in the qualifying records.  FIA made enquiries on the protests on the technical issues surrounding the double diffusers on some F1 teams after the Malaysian Grand Prix.  It finally came out a decision that these enhancements are legal and did not violate any rulings on the F1 race car structural designs.   Other teams accepted the decision of the ruling board on their protests and made their own diffuser designs.      

Most of the teams had made great strides on their own custom-made diffusers in the GP races.  However, Jenson Button and Brawn F1 had already secured six of the seven GP races of the 2009 season.  Button and his team had amassed championship points leaving their competition behind and claiming both championships.

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