Ferrari escape further punishment

Ferrari have escaped further punishment over the team-orders controversy which saw Felipe Massa give way to team-mate Fernando Alonso while leading the German Grand Prix. The decision came at a disciplinary hearing of the World Motor Sport Council in Paris.

The slippery subject of team orders, which despite being banned since 2002, are very much still standard practice, will now be tackled by the FIA, which has pledged to clarify a rule that is largely unworkable.

The Italian team were fined £65,100 in July after appearing to give Alonso instructions to overtake Massa without a fight at the German Grand Prix in Hockenheim, allowing Alonso, who was better placed in the drivers championship, to go on and win the race.

The World Motor Sport Council decided not to ruin a gripping Formula One season, in which five drivers are vying for the title, by taking away Alonso's points. But it was widely believed that Ferrari would face further sanctions, which luckily for them, will not now happen.

The decision has attracted vitriolic criticism from former team boss Eddie Jordan, who said: "What Ferrari did was they showed no respect to the public, they treated us all like muppets, they broke the rule and they have to pay the penalty."  

However there is a sense the matter is not over for Ferrari, especially if Alonso manages to take the world crown thanks to the seven points he gained illegally. ·