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Harpo wrote:

Exediron wrote:

Jenson's Understeer wrote:Yes, they should've, but for another reason.

Leclerc was always going to catch Seb. It was clear from the way he was reducing the gap. So unless Ferrari were very naive, they must've seen that they were soon going to be presented with a situation where they would either have to tell Charles to back off or tell Seb to let him go. One way or another they would have to employ team orders in the first race of the season, and one way or another they would gherkin one of their drivers off. All for what, as a team, was going to be the same points haul. If they had been smart they would've boxed Charles before he caught Seb, using an attempt at gaining the fastest lap point as the justification for doing so. Even if Charles didn't then end up gaining the extra point, it would've saved them having to use team orders in race one.

I'm pretty sure that would have been interpreted as team orders by most viewers anyway, since the obvious choice would have otherwise been to box the driver who was struggling with his tyres and wasn't clearly going to make it to the end on his hards.

I tend to think that putting Leclerc on hard tyres, when Vettel was on faster medium tyres, was already "hidden" team orders... Not to have to use "clear" ones. Which they were nevertheless "obliged" to use.

Jenson's Understeer wrote:

Harpo wrote:
I tend to think that putting Leclerc on hard tyres, when Vettel was on faster medium tyres, was already "hidden" team orders... Not to have to use "clear" ones. Which they were nevertheless "obliged" to use.

I think that was Ferrari looking ahead to a potential SC. Leclerc could get to the end on hards, maybe or maybe not on mediums. Gave them the option to leave him out if there was an SC and guys ahead considered pitting. Or maybe they were seeing the way Seb was getting through his tyres and wanting to ensure that if they really went off the cliff, they didn't have the same worry with Leclerc's.