'Team always comes first' Ferrari chief says

THOMAS BOHLEN/REUTERS

Fernando Alonso gives the tumbs-up to his support team following Sunday;'s German Grand Prix but teammate Felipe Massa doesn't look happy at all.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

MARANELLO, ITALY—Ferrari president Luca Di Montezemolo has told his Formula One drivers that the team "always comes first" in the aftermath of the passing row that erupted during the German Grand Prix.

The Italian team was found guilty of breaking team order rules and fined US$100,000 after Felipe Massa appeared to let teammate Fernando Alonso pass him to win the race on Sunday.

Massa led the race for 49 of 67 laps before he was passed by Alonso following Ferrari messages over the team radio.

Article 39.1 of the International Auto Federation (FIA) 2010 sporting regulations outlaws teams giving orders during a race. Ferrari says that the drivers arrived at the decision independently.

"I'm not interested in arguing," Di Montezemolo was quoted as saying by the ANSA news agency. "I will repeat what I always tell my drivers and that is when they drive for Ferrari the team always comes first."

Additional sanctions could be imposed by the World Motor Sport Council though Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone, who sits on the body, appeared to back Di Montezemolo's view that the sport should be team-focused.

"All the cars have to be exactly the same, the drivers wear the same overalls, so everybody has to look like a team — a team of people that are racing," Ecclestone said. "I believe what people do when they are inside the team, and how they run their team is up to them ... nobody should interfere as to how they run their team.

"But of course if they do something that's dangerous then obviously they're going to be in trouble. Otherwise, get on with it."

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