Schumacher Told to Hold Position, Says Todt

Michael Schumacher was told not to overtake teammate Rubens Barrichello at Sunday's European Formula One Grand Prix, Ferrari boss Jean Todt said.

The Italian team's sporting director said the drivers were instructed to hold their positions and not risk an accident on their way to a one-two finish.

While technical director Ross Brawn said there were no "team orders", it was clear that he was referring to the sort given in Austria last month when Barrichello was told to let Schumacher past for victory. Todt made clear that the drivers were not racing each other in the closing stages on Sunday.

"After the second pit stop we told the drivers to keep their positions and avoid incidents," Todt told reporters.

Barrichello won his first race of the season to move into fourth place in the Championship, with 26 points. Schumacher leads with 76 points, holding a commanding 46-point lead in the Championship over his brother Ralf in second place.

"Rubens drove a fantastic race today," Brawn said. "Things have moved on since then (Austria). There weren't any team orders today. The Championship didn't need any team orders today."

Todt, whose team face an International Automobile Federation (FIA) hearing on Wednesday into the events in Austria, admitted he was surprised by the overwhelmingly negative reaction that hit Ferrari and Schumacher after that race.

"We did not anticipate the reaction in Austria," he said, referring to the jeers and whistles as well as critical media reaction. "Team tactics have always been part of the sport. We did not expect to have such as controversy as after Austria."

Todt said the situation on Sunday, the ninth of 17 races, was completely different to Austria, the sixth race of the season.

"Austria was just six races into the Championship," he said. "The advantage was not as much as it is now, it was 23 points then and it's 46 points now. The risk today was not as big as it was in Austria."

Ferrari were more concerned about building up a big lead for Schumacher, their number one driver, in the event that an injury might sideline him during the course of the season.

"Today the team tactic was to let Rubens win," Todt said. "It was important for Rubens to get the points for the Championship as well."

Todt flatly rejected any suggestion that Sunday's strategy had anything to do with Wednesday's meeting.

"No," he said when asked about that possibility. "I will only be able to comment after the FIA meets."

Todt said he was not concerned that the team orders controversy would damage Ferrari's standing among fans, many of whom complained they felt duped and cheated by the finish in Austria.

"I feel responsible for the team but I cannot be responsible for what other people think," he said. "If you looked out there in the crowd today you could see a very large number of Ferrari flags. There were many, many more than all the other teams combined."