Team orders in Formula One. At time of writing (July 2016) there’s a lot of mayhem going on about imposing team orders at the Mercedes Formula One HQ.  Now team orders are a subject of a very long article, or even a book, but today I want to talk about motorsport history — and the team orders at the Grand Prix of Imola in 1982. In that year, Didier Pironi of France and Canadian Gilles Villeneuve were team-mates driving for Ferrari, considered to be the most promising team in the field of entrants for that race. Villeneuve qualified third with Pironi in fourth place behind him on the grid. The two Renaults that were in first and second place were beset by mechanical problems so soon the race was led by the two Ferraris in one-two position with Villeneuve still ahead. In those days, communication to the drivers was done using pit boards and as the racer progressed, the two drivers were told to slow slightly. The third placed car was well behind them so if the two Ferraris slowed their cars a little they would maintain their places and reduce the possibility of any damage or wear and tear on the vehicles. The trouble was that the two drivers interpreted the pitboard signal in different ways. To Villeneuve, in the lead, it meant that the cars had to hold position and go for a one-two result. To Pironi, he too understood that they should slow slightly to preserve the cars but didn’t see that this meant that the two cars should race. So he overtook his team mate. Villeneuve though he had done so simply to give the spectators a little excitement so retook Pironi. But on the last lap, Pironi passed Villeneuve again and thus won the race. Villeneuve was furious. Despite the fact that he and Pironi were the best of friends prior to the incident, he was heard to say that he would never speak to his team mate Pironi again. And he didn’t — ever. Two weeks later That had been on April 25th, 1982. Two weeks later, the Formula One circus had moved on to the next race in Belgium. During final qualifying, with only eight minutes left in the session, Pironi had set a quicker time than Villeneuve. Some people say that...