The controversial team order at the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix dealt a significant blow to Formula 1’s reputation. Enrique Bernoldi witnessed the scandal firsthand. “Rubens deserved the victory,” he says.
May 12, 2002, remains one of the darkest days in Formula 1 history, even after more than twenty years. Especially for Rubens Barrichello, who was made the scapegoat when his team boss, Jean Todt, decided to give his favorite, Michael Schumacher, some extra championship points. After Barrichello had already been the fastest in qualifying and was leading the race comfortably, Todt ordered him to let Schumacher pass.
Initially, Barrichello ignored Todt’s insistent requests. However, just before the finish line, he lifted his foot off the accelerator, allowing Schumacher to overtake him at the last moment. The fans at the circuit and those watching on television were furious. “Even after the last corner, I decided not to give up my position,” said Barrichello, who avoided the post-race press conference because he was so upset he was physically sick. “But then I thought: I love my job, what if they fire me?”
The Podium Ceremony: A Farce
The podium ceremony was a farce, with Schumacher awkwardly pushing his Brazilian colleague onto the top step of the podium and handing him the winner’s trophy. The discomfort was palpable, as observed by Enrique Bernoldi. He had already retired from the Austrian Grand Prix in the second round on behalf of Arrows and had watched the race from the motorhome on television. “I collided in the first corner, which damaged my front wing. I continued for two more rounds against my better judgment, but then the wing came off,” Bernoldi recalls.
(The story continues below)
Reflections on a Controversial Race
The Brazilian is more than a mere acquaintance of Barrichello, who was recruited by Ferrari in 2000 as the wingman for star driver Schumacher. “I’ve known Rubens since our go-karting days. We didn’t visit each other’s homes, but we had each other’s phone numbers and often saw and spoke to each other during the Grands Prix,” Bernoldi shares from his home in California. Before the race in Austria, they even posed together at the start. “It was Mother’s Day. The GP organization had invited all the drivers’ mothers. Mine was there, Rubens’ was not. When I posed with my mother at the start, Rubens joined us,” he recalls.
The Unnecessary Team Order
An hour and a half later, he watches the controversial climax in disbelief. Bernoldi can hardly believe it. “Firstly, I’ve never driven for Ferrari. But I found this team order unnecessary. I mean, it wasn’t as if they were racing for the last points of the championship,” Bernoldi argues. “There was still a whole season to go and Ferrari was dominant that year. Rubens deserved the victory, Michael didn’t need it.”
In addition, Bernoldi believes, the team order caused worldwide annoyance. The race would go down in history as the Austrian scandal.
Bernoldi: “It was bad for the sport’s image, and such actions only cause friction within the team. I’ve never spoken to Rubens about that moment. What could he say? Everyone saw what happened, what was said. I had to let Jos (Verstappen) pass me due to a team order in Monaco in 2001. As a driver, you don’t like that, I was in the same situation as Rubens. You don’t want people to bring it up, you don’t want to talk about it. That’s why I’ve never asked Rubens about it.”
