Questioned about the Malaysian GP team orders saga today Fernando Alonso insisted that drivers have an obligation to do their job, and indicated that he would obey instructions in similar circumstances.
“As a driver, one always wants to win and to do whatever it takes to win,” said Alonso. “However, what counts are the priorities of your team, so it’s difficult to comment or have an opinion on what Red Bull and Mercedes did in the last race, without knowing what discussions they had beforehand.
“But like I say, when we come to F1, we enter an agreement with our team and we have a professional obligation towards that team and sometimes people confuse team orders with the obligation to do one’s job.”
Alonso, who retired after his wing fell in Malaysia, said he was not worried about failing to finish there.
“I am not concerned about the fact I did not score points in Malaysia, because everyone has at least two or three DNFs per season in F1. Although I hope not, I guess it will happen to me again this year, because of the law of averages.
“We need to be prepared for that and also be prepared to take any opportunity and try and score maximum points when it happens to our rivals. It was a shame that there was that contact at the second corner, but as regards stopping or not stopping, I think the damage was already done. Now, we will try and be a little bit more careful, leave a bit more of a margin and hopefully, it won’t happen again.”
Asked whether Felipe Massa’s recent qualifying form was influenced by Alonso working more towards a race set-up the Spaniard didn’t want to use that as an excuse.
“It’s not that, but I think he is doing a fantastic job and driving at a hundred percent. However, to talk about the last four races is a strange calculation, as it involves races from last year as well as this one and the conditions in the qualifying sessions in Melbourne and Malaysia were not so normal.
“Like I say, he is doing a good job and I hope I can qualify in front of him for a few races this year and if I manage to do that, it will need to be with a fantastic lap.”
Adam Cooper F1 