Following the original justified invective heaped on Ferrari for its blatant use of team orders in the German Grand Prix, it is time to take stock and think outside of the box.
One major underlying issue that surreptitious team orders in Formula 1 have been trying to address is the reality that even if one driver has a faster car than the driver in front, it is currently almost impossible for the faster driver to overtake. The Overtaking Working Group's attempts to define changes to the regulations to reduce downforce have been totally undermined by the slide back to diffuser-generated downforce, beginning at the start of the 2009 season.
It is my belief that the OWG has been compromised because it is composed of insiders - engineers and designers who are familiar with the current regulations and principles of car design and aerodynamics. Ideas implemented thus far have centered on reducing aero grip and downforce in favour of mechanical grip. The move to slick tyres has increased mechanical grip, but the increases in downforce have nullified this gain.
One idea that has been surfaced, which seemingly has not been seriously discussed, is to move to a very hard tyre. Superficially this seems at odds with the OWG principles. However, one of the challenges with overtaking in a Formula 1 race is that after a few laps, there is usually only one racing line, due to tyre material (the infamous "marbles") accumulating off-line and reducing grip. A very hard tyre would more or less eliminate marbles, allowing drivers a lot more overtaking options and spots on a circuit.
The reality is that, with overtaking next to impossible on many circuits, teams are resorting to artificial methods to establish race-time position relationships between drivers. This artificiality cannot be reliably managed as long as it is officially against the regulations. Hence the occasional slipping of the mask that we saw last weekend...
Allowing team orders will simply consolidate this dysfunctional way of managing competition, which will open Formula 1 to the (justified) allegation that the race positions are being "fixed". Trying to continue with the ban on team orders as per the current sporting regulation risks opening Formula 1 to more ridicule when the next team is caught managing race-time positions for its drivers.
The reality is that the pressure to manage driver relationships would be less if drivers could actually overtake. Some radical solution is needed. The OWG was supposedly radical, but it has proven to be toothless.