2006 Turkish GP

[jeff1101]

I think all the race fans already understand that the game plan is for Massa to let Schumi ahead. So i don't think Ferrari will be unpopular sending Schumi to the pits while Massa stays ontrack. Fans expected that. It's the game plan. Right now, Ferrari favoring Schumi to win is the most logical thing there is to a team. After all, F1 is still a team sport. There is no sense for a shoot-out between teammates at this stage of the season. The most interesting and exciting element to see is how Massa can block Alonso, unlike Fisichella who is absolutely nowhere in this triad contest.

Are you saying that Ferrari planned for Schumi to win the Turkish GP? OK granted Ferrari is willing to risk the ire of the press (if of course there is nothing illegal in that), why do you think Ferrari did what they did during the race? Why did they let Massa refuel first then?

[niky]

Maybe they were planning for Massa to hold up Alonso and give Schumi time to overtake him? But that seemed to fall apart when Alonso lost the pace and couldn't keep up with Massa. Instead Alonso held up Michael to the point where Button almost caught up with them.

Oh, forgot, Alonso overtook Schumi in the pits, right? I doubt there was a better time to pit, and it probably all came down to pitstops... and with both Renault and Ferrari having terrific pit-crews, it all came down to who put in more gas. (or who needed it)

[BoyFerrari]

Are you saying that Ferrari planned for Schumi to win the Turkish GP? OK granted Ferrari is willing to risk the ire of the press (if of course there is nothing illegal in that), why do you think Ferrari did what they did during the race? Why did they let Massa refuel first then?

From Jean Todt:

But the team had little option in this matter, explained Todt. They couldn't have swapped the order in favour of Schumacher. "When the safety car is on the track you cannot overtake. You just cannot do it. Overtaking with the safety car is forbidden. That doesn't mean we would have done it, but we couldn't. I think there would be five times more people at this press conference if I had asked Felipe Massa to let Michael through. That would have been the event of the race weekend. So I am sorry for you that we did not change the order in the pits!" he joked.
http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/28082006/...jean-todt.html

In summary, everyone (and i mean absolutely everyone) was just waiting for Ferrari to order Massa to step aside and let Schumacher through. Everyone was just very itchy to say, "I told you, they will let Schumi win!". Personally, I cannot understand why people are still getting surprised or are trying to piss themsevels off when Ferrari favors Schumi over his No.2 teammate.

It's just the way it is. It has always been. And always will be.

[jeff1101]

Ahh.. I understand now, the order in which the car goes in to the pits must be the same as they're race order when the SC came in for them not to brake the "no overtaking during Safety car period" rule.

However, you dont break the rule if you happen to pit faster and leave the pits sooner than all the other competitors I guess.