Ferrari keep team orders

Ferrari have insisted that they remain committed to some form of team orders even though the controversial practice has been outlawed by the Formula One Commission.

The Italian team caused outrage in Austria last season when it ordered Rubens Barrichello to move over in the closing laps to gift Michael Schumacher an easy victory.

Team orders have been banned by the F1 Commission and any team suspected of imposing them during a race will be reported to the stewards.

Ferrari are unlikely to repeat the blatant tactic they used at the A1-Ring but president Luca di Montezemolo has warned that the teams' interest must still come before that of the drivers'.

"For us, the team is the number one element," he said. "To win in F1 you need the right mechanics, the correct strategy, the best suppliers, the top drivers; the whole team, in other words.

"Team orders have always been in the spirit of the sport. In cycling and long distance running, team orders are always prevalent – but nobody complains there.

"There needs to be a middle-ground but we cannot forget how important the teams are. I will never allow an individual to think of his best interests [first] and then the team's. We'll respect the public and the sport but the drivers need to think of the teams' interest before thinking of their own gain."

Jaguar postponed the January launch of their new R4 F1 car yesterday after announcing a management restructuring.

The Ford-owned team had planned to unveil the car on 13 January but a spokeswoman said it was now likely to go ahead later in the same month. Team manager Niki Lauda was replaced last week and Jaguar Racing announced yesterday that Briton David Pitchforth was taking over from managing director Guenther Steiner.

The young British driver Justin Wilson will test for the Newman-Haas CART team in Florida this month while also pursuing a Formula One drive with Minardi.

His manager, Jonathan Palmer, said Wilson would test at the Sebring circuit as a possible partner for the 26-year-old Brazilian Bruno Junqueira at the team that took Junqueira's compatriot Cristiano da Matta to the title last season.

Da Matta will make his Formula One debut with Toyota next season. Both Wilson and Junqueira are Formula 3000 champions, and raced each other in that series.

Palmer said Wilson, whose 1.90m height prevented him getting a stand-in drive with Minardi last season, had two great opportunities but still needed sponsorship to secure either.