FIA courts public opinion on team orders
Max Mosley, president of motorsport's governing body the FIA, has announced that Formula 1 fans will have a say in formulating new regulations designed to prevent controversial team orders from creating a repeat of this year's Austrian GP result
Speaking in Paris following the meeting of the world council, Mosley said: "The issue of team orders is a very complex question, but what happened in Austria was undoubtedly bad from a sporting point of view. Therefore, we are setting up a working group and we will also open up a website and invite members of the public to come forward with their suggestions.
"Should there be a rule on team orders? And if so, how should it be enforced and what will the penalty be if it's breached? At the moment we honestly cannot think of a solution and that's why we are opening it up to the public."
Mosley admitted that under the current guidelines the FIA's hands were tied, which is why Ferrari, Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello, were fined solely for their breach of podium protocol.
"The offence that was committed [on the podium] was an administrative one, not a sporting one, which is why we had no choice but to fine Ferrari. It's a suggestion that is often made that the FIA is Ferrari friendly, but that is of course not the case.
"In footballing terms, deducting Ferrari points would have been like awarding a team a penalty because the opposition lined up incorrectly for the shaking of hands at the start of the game."
The public forum will appear on www.fia.com within the next few weeks, according to Mosley.
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