If you watched the Russian Grand Prix, you’d have noticed that celebrations for Mercedes’ third 1-2 finish of the season were subdued, marred in controversy by team orders; the thorn in Formula One’s side.

Every year we see team orders play a starring role in the outcome of a race, sometimes even a championship; the Ferrari’s in 2002 and 2010, Red Bull’s Multi-21 saga in 2013 and now Mercedes’ questionable decision to move Valtteri Bottas aside for Lewis Hamilton.

As a result, it now means the Brit has a rather swollen championship lead of 50 points over Sebastian Vettel, with only five races remaining. It pushes both him and the team closer to a fifth world title and leaves Bottas ruing after another lost win in 2018.

From the team’s perspective, it’s entirely understandable why they imposed the order. Their goal is to win both championships and to help ensure they do that, it’s a ‘no-brainer’, as Vettel worded it, that they would swap the pair over to protect them both, but with Hamilton’s title lead previously standing at 40 points, it wasn’t a make-or-break decision that would decide the title there and then, he was still gaining points on Vettel regardless. However, you can never guarantee what will happen next. Two retirements for the 33 year-old, coupled with two wins for Vettel and we’re back at nul points.

As mentioned above, Bottas has endured a trying 2018 campaign, losing the win in Baku on the last lap after suffering a puncture and previously being told to hold station behind Hamilton in Germany despite being on faster, fresher tyres. The Finn deserves at least one race win, and Russia was his best chance at avenging Baku all season.

It sets an uneasy precedent moving forward into these final five races; will Bottas be given the chance to win or will Mercedes deploy the same tactic again should the situation arise? Hamilton has openly said he would be willing to give a win back to his teammate later on in the season, a gesture Bottas has refused, saying he’d rather work hard for it. One can’t help but feel that win would be just as contrived as this one was.

It boils down to one simple fact; Hamilton is embroiled in a fight for the Drivers championship, Bottas is not. Perhaps the Finn should have seen this coming, after all Toto Wolff dubbed him ‘the perfect wingman’ earlier in the year. Perhaps Mercedes should have been more open with him before the race and admitted that what happened may have always been on the cards.

A racing driver wants to win fair and square, Hamilton himself said: “It doesn’t feel great.

“I don’t think I’ve ever finished first and feel the way I do right now. It’s definitely a very conflicting feeling.”

Team orders in Formula One is a necessary evil though, the Constructors championship requires a certain level of team work between drivers, a different kind of team work than any other sport. It’s a scenario unique to Motorsport, drivers fighting for themselves as well as their team which quite often leads to a conflict of interest on both sides.

It creates unpleasant situations and tension behind the scenes, and all you can do is be sure it’ll rear it’s ugly head again in the future.

Image: Clive Rose/Getty