2002 Austrian Grand Prix: The team orders that caused discord

Bound by a prior agreement to let Michael Schumacher pass before the finish, Rubens Barrichello bowed to pressure from his superiors. The incident became an indelible stain on the history of Scuderia Ferrari. A look back at the infamous Austrian Grand Prix, held on May 12, 2002.

Published 12/05/2026 à 16:02

Medhi Casaurang

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2002 Austrian Grand Prix: The team orders that caused discord

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This item is from the Collector's Edition. Classic Ferrari for sale Legendary duos Available here in print.

In 2002, Rubens Barrichello regained confidence in his abilities. F2002 proves to be more forgiving with its piloting. "Rubens

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Medhi Casaurang

Passionate about the history of motorsport across all disciplines, I learned to read thanks to AUTOhebdo. At least that's what my parents tell everyone when they see my name inside!

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2 Comment (s)

O

Olivierm 2B 88

13/05/2026 at 09:35 a.m.

Yes, the incident doesn't reflect well on Ferrari and only serves to highlight that Schumacher was given an unfair advantage and that his teammates were merely supporting players. How many of his victories were achieved at their expense? Even if through less blatant means.

V

vincent moyet

12/05/2026 at 05:25 a.m.

This was all the more inappropriate given that Schumacher absolutely didn't need it to win the title, and consequently, the elimination of all internal competition effectively killed the season as early as May. It was a time when I stopped watching F1 much, mainly because of this.

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