F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Vettel in favour of 'not having team orders ever'

Sebastian Vettel believes Red Bull would be wrong to deprive Sergio Perez of a home win in Mexico City by applying team orders which the Aston Martin driver insists are "bad" for F1.

Speculation is ramping up in Mexico about how Red Bull will manage its drivers should Perez find himself ahead of teammate and title contender Max Verstappen in Sunday's race.

Perez admitted that such a situation, should it come to pass, would be "a problem", but the Mexican said that he would wait until after qualifying to discuss the topic of team orders with his team.

Vettel, who once ignored a team order to remain behind race leader and Red Bull teammate Mark Webber at the 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix, is in favour of teams ditching orders all together.

Read also - Perez: Too early to discuss Red Bull team order scenarios

"There’s two different team orders," he said. "There’s the team order that you give way and you get it back in the same race if you are on different strategies, and then there’s obviously the team order where clearly one has to get out of the way to make the other one score more points.

"Now, even if maybe the situation is logically very easy to explain, I still think it’s bad and I would be in favour of not having any team orders ever. I think it’s just [that] nobody likes it.

"If Checo happens to be ahead then Checo should stay ahead," said Vettel.

McLaren's Daniel Ricciardo agreed with the German, saying that he would blatantly ignore a call from his team to swap positions if he was leading his home race.

"If it was the last race of the season and that position swap literally meant the world title or not, then maybe that's a more complex decision making process," said the Aussie.

"But I mean, a home win… That's like the thing that you dream of as a kid. If obviously you've earned it on track, then yeah, I feel like it should be yours for the taking."

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.