Reutemann, von Brauchitsch Disobey
F1 Driver and GP Driver Failed to Heed Team Orders During Race
Carlos Reutemann and Manfred von Brauchitsch disobeyed team orders in winning the 1981 Brazilian GP and 1937 Monaco GP, respectively. Both refused to let a teammate pass
This is the fourth and final article in a four-part series on a group of drivers who disobeyed an order from the team. It is on Carlos Reutemann and Manfred von Brauchitsch, a grand prix driver in the 1930s. They along with Didier Pironi and Rene Arnoux disobeyed “team orders” during a race.
The fifth driver, Lewis Hamilton, is unique in the group for disobeying an order from the team during qualifying.
For an overview of the series, please see the Suite101 article, “F1 Drivers Who Vetoed Team Orders.” For more information on Hamilton disobeying an order from McLaren during qualifying for the 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix, please see the Suite101 article, “Hamilton Nixed Order in Qualy 3.” For more information on Pironi and Arnoux, please see the Suite101 article, “Pironi, Arnoux Ignored Team Orders.”
For close to a century, grand prix and then Formula 1 teams could issue “team orders” to a driver to allow his teammate to pass in a race. The main reason was to try to maximize the points score by the driver in better position in the driver championship.
In October 2002, team orders were outlawed in F1. The ban stemmed from Rubens Barrichello obeying the order from Ferrari to gift the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix to Michael Schumacher, who was in better position in the driver standings. Schumacher went on to win his third straight driver championship for Ferrari and fifth overall.
Carlos Reutemann, 1981 Brazilian Grand Prix
Carlos Reutemann of Argentina had talent. Evidence is 12 wins, 45 podium finishes and 298 points in 146 F1 races from 1972-82. But despite that talent, Reutemann did not display the consistency needed to be a champion.
When Reutemann joined Williams for the 1980 season, teammate Alan Jones was established as the team leader. Jones of Australia cemented that status by winning the driving championship, with Reutemann finishing third in the standings.
The first race of the 1981 season was the United States West Grand Prix in Long Beach, CA. Williams notched a 1-2 finish, with Jones winning and Reutemann coming in second.
However, in the next race, the rainy Brazilian Grand Prix at Jacarepagua in Rio de Janeiro, Reutemann infuriated the team and teammate Jones by disobeying team orders. He did not allow Jones to pass and won the race with Jones finishing second.
Tension remained between Reutemann and Jones throughout the season. And Reutemann not deferring to Jones’ team leader status likely cost Jones a second driver championship.
Reutemann, who had the nickname "Lole," took a one-point lead over Nelson Piquet of Brabham into the last race of the 1981 season -- the Las Vegas Grand Prix in Las Vegas, NV. Prospects looked good for Reutemann after he qualified on pole. But he scored no points in the race, finishing in a disappointing eighth place. (In 1981, points were awarded to drivers finishing first through sixth.)
Meanwhile, Piquet’s fifth-place finish gave him enough points – two – to earn the driver championship. Piquet finished with 50 points, followed by Reutemann with 49 and Jones with 46.
The combined points scored by Reutemann and Jones made Williams the runaway winner of the constructor championship.
Manfred von Brauchitsch, 1937 Monaco Grand Prix
Of the five instances in the series, this reportedly is the only one in which a driver disobeying an order from the team did not produce internal tension. The way that von Brauchitsch decided to defy the order from the team was humorous.
Von Brauchitsch was driving a Mercedes-Benz in the 1937 Monaco Grand Prix. According to a Web site on the Golden Era of Grand Prix Racing , von Brauchitsch stuck out his tongue as he passed the pits in response to signals from Alfred Neubauer, manager of the works Daimler-Benz team, to allow teammate Rudolf Carraciola to pass.
Von Brauchitsch disobeyed the order on lap 70 (of 100). He had made a pit stop on lap 69 for fuel and tires, but lost a lot of time as a front brake got stuck.
When he rejoined the race, von Brauchitsch was right in front of Carraciola and refused to let his teammate pass for a number of laps.
Carraciola started the race on pole with von Brauchitsch second on the grid. Carraciola led the race early, but fell one lap down around lap 50 when the team had to fix a problem with his engine, resulting in a lengthy pit stop.
Carraciola then mounted a comeback. On lap 55, he was back on the lead lap. And, as mentioned above, by lap 70 he was back in second place on von Brauchitsch’s tail and in second place.
Unfortunately for Carraciola, his charge took a toll on his tires. Von Brauchitsch finally let Carraciola pass on lap 80, knowing that he would have to make a pit stop on the next lap for new tires.
Von Brauchitsch went on to win the race. It was his first grand prix victory. Maybe the fact that he was chasing his first victory was why he disobeyed the order from the team.
In the end, Carraciola was the only other driver on the lead lap. He finished second, over one minute, 24 seconds behind von Brauchitsch.
Von Brauchitsch’s act did not jeopardize his relationship with Carraciola or the team. He remained with Daimler-Benz through the 1939 season, the last for grand prix racing in Europe prior to World War II. Von Brauchitsch won one other race in his career, the 1938 French Grand Prix.
Also of note is the fact that von Brauchitsch had a long life. He died in February 2003 at age 97.
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