Formula One Features — May 2002

On June 26, the FIA must - or rather, should - take a decision vital to the future of Formula 1 as world-wide entertainment: What to do about team orders.

Sixty-Five years ago the British journalist George Monkhouse travelled around Europe, reporting on the adventures of Dick Seaman, the English driver in the factory Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix team. That summer Seaman was injured and rather than sit around while Seaman recovered from his injuries Monkhouse decided to go to Monaco for the 1937 Grand Prix.

Pescara is a city on the Adriatic coast of Italy, about 120 miles to the east of Rome, but separated from it by the Apennine Mountains, rising to over 7000 ft, with the lowest passes being at 3000ft. As a result of this progress in the region always lagged behind the northern cities and those on Italy's Mediterranean coast.

Team orders have existed in motor racing as long as there have been teams involved. Originally they were based on the very simple principle that he who pays the piper calls the tune. The men who owned the cars were rich. Sometimes they loaned out cars to others but they did not want to be beaten and so the men in the other cars accepted that they would give way if the boss wanted to come through.

My friends tell me I talk too much. They reckon I never shut up, especially on a Grand Prix weekend. I'll come out with a random fact about the sport which, quite frankly, they didn't really want to know before and are none the wiser for having discovered.

Peter Sauber was trained as electrician but he was always fascinated by automobiles. He came from a wealthy family which owned a successful engineering business. In 1967 Sauber encountered a local racing driver called Arthur Blank and eventually bought a souped-up Volkswagen Beetle from his new pal and started competing in local club events.