Ferrari Drivers Free to Race Each Other, Says Brawn

Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn said on Thursday that the novel experience of seeing teammates Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello battling at the front at last weekend's Canadian Grand Prix made him nervous.

The Italian team, who have won the World Championship for the last five years, have been criticised in the past for imposing team orders to hold station and ensure their two drivers do not get into fights at the front. Brawn said, however, that their drivers are free to race each other, despite the implied anxiety for the Briton.

"It made me a little bit anxious because you could see all the scenarios and if the drivers had tangled," Brawn said of the Canadian Grand Prix, in which Barrichello put Schumacher under pressure before making his final pitstop.

"Then two lead Ferraris (would have been) out of the race. That would have made a good headline. So you get a little bit anxious but the drivers knew each other's strategies and they were free to race each other."

Brawn said he was amused at the end of the last race when the media asked him why Barrichello, who was clearly faster, had not been allowed to pass Schumacher and instead lost time fighting to get past.

"Most of the time we are criticised for not letting the drivers race. Now we are told we should let one driver past the other! We do our best and I think it was exciting," said Brawn.

Brawn admitted that the team have taken an "open approach" to racing between their two drivers before the FIA banned team orders at the end of their dominant performance in the 2002 season.

"I don't think it's a particular recent change of philosophy," said Brawn. "It's been an open situation for a couple of years now, I guess, since the FIA made it clear that they wanted the teams to take a different approach.

"Since the FIA clarified the situation we've had an open approach between the two drivers. Their instructions are clear - don't knock each other off but you're free to do what you can and is sensible."