Massa told a post-race news conference he made the decision to allow Alonso through 18 laps from the end himself, saying he was struggling with his car's hard tyres.
However, radio traffic suggested a different story as Ferrari race engineer Rob Smedley told the Brazilian: “OK, so, Fernando is faster than you. Can you confirm you understood that message?...Good lad. Just stick with it now. Sorry.”
In the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix, then Ferrari driver Rubens Barrichello had to let Ferrari team mate Michael Schumacher win in a notorious incident that led to team orders being banned.
Article 39.1 of the FIA’s Sporting Regulations, introduced in the wake of the 2002 incident, states: “Team orders which interfere with the race result will be prohibited.”
