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A former Formula 1 team boss once threatened to ‘cut’ his drivers’ gearboxes after they ignored strict team orders.
In F1, team orders often play a huge part as they are used to ensure the drivers avoid taking risks that could impact the team.
However, drivers are competitors and will often do whatever it takes to win, with the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen having ignored team orders in the past.
One particular F1 team principal decided to take things further after his drivers failed to adhere to team orders.
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Otmar Szafnauer once threatened to ‘cut’ his drivers’ gearboxes
Speaking recently on the High Performance Racing podcast, former Alpine and Force India team boss Otmar Szafnauer revealed the conversation he had with his drivers after they ignored strict orders.
Szafnauer was team principal at Force India, which later became Racing Point and Aston Martin, when Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon ignored team orders.
As a result, Szafnauer held a meeting with the drivers and their race engineers and threatened to cut their gearboxes.
Szafnauer said: “When they used to run into each other, Sergio and Esteban, lap one, Singapore, where else were we? Baku, Spa, all over the place.
“And we used to qualify well, you know, we’re running fourth and fifth, and they run into each other. That wasn’t part of the rules of engagement. Well, they ignored them.
“After the race, in the office, drivers and the engineers. A lot of finger waving, a lot of this is what I’ve done for you.
“At Force India, we didn’t have 1000 people, but we had 400; there are 400 working for you, and you do this? Should be ashamed of yourself.
“You do it again, and we’re going to cut your gearbox. You’re moving back five places because the team’s going to be better off than you crashing into them. Even if we go back five places at the start, we’re still better off.”
Should Toto Wolff stay off the radio when Kimi Antonelli and George Russell battle?
READ MORE: Sacked Aston Martin boss claims he could have prevented their costly 2026 ‘mistakes’
In 2026, Mercedes are currently dealing with a title fight between their drivers, Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.
The pair went wheel-to-wheel for the first time this season during the Canadian Grand Prix Sprint, which led to Toto Wolff telling off Antonelli after the Italian complained on the radio.
Speaking about the rules going forward, Andrew Shovlin, who is the trackside engineering director, said to the Nu Silver Arrows Radio Show: “The two of them want to be allowed to race.
“They know that they need to deliver their end of the bargain, which is to race fairly, race without risking DNFs, and not hit each other. That’s another rule that we have for obvious reasons.
“We had good discussions during the weekend. We’ll have a good discussion ahead of the next race.”
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