Ranked: The most controversial F1 team order rows

Through the years, every so often, F1 teams have found themselves in the centre of a healthy dollop of controversy through a team orders bust-up.

RacingNews365 has had a go at ranking the top five most controversial rows, which can be read below!

Make sure to let us know in the comments if you think we've missed one off the list!

5. Max Verstappen vs Sergio Perez - Sao Paulo 2022

Heading into the penultimate round of 2022, Max Verstappen was already F1 champion, but his team-mate Sergio Perez was trying to secure P2 in the drivers', the first time Red Bull would have achieved it.

On a difficult weekend at Interlagos, and after contact with Lewis Hamilton, Verstappen was running sixth in the closing stages, having been waved through by Perez to see if he could salvage a podium - and deny Charles Leclerc crucial points in the battle with Perez.

On the final lap, engineer Gianpiero Lambiase ordered Verstappen to allow Perez through to gain an extra two points - eight overall - for finishing sixth, but Verstappen bluntly ignored the call.

His reasoning was based on feeling aggreived that Perez had spun, he believed on purpose, in Monaco to out-qualify the Dutchman, and set up victory. 

Perez claimed "it shows who he is really" as Red Bull found itself with a rather pointless saga. 

In the end, Leclerc would finish three points ahead of Perez in the final standings, meaning even if Verstappen had followed Red Bull's orders, the Monegasque would still have beaten Perez by a single point to finish runner-up. 

4. Sebastian Vettel vs Mark Webber - Malaysia 2013

"Multi-21, Seb, yeah, Multi-21."

The origins of the 2013 Malaysian GP bust-up between Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber actually started a couple of races prior, in the 2012 finale in Brazil. 

Vettel was going for the title against Fernando Alonso, but was crowded out at the start by Webber, with the German then spinning down to last at Turn 4 after contact.

He recovered to win the title, but the seed was sown, and it germinated in ruthless fashion in Malaysia.

Webber was leading after the pit-stops, with a clear of instruction of "multi-map 2-1" being given to the pair of them - indicating the desire for Red Bull to finish with car #2, Webber, ahead of car 1, Vettel.

Vettel promptly ignored the order, even from Christian Horner, and put an excellent move on Webber at Turn 5 around the outside. 

In the cooldown room, Webber questioned Vettel, who initially appeared apologetic, but two weeks later in China, Vettel uttered the brilliant line of "I was racing, I was faster, I passed him, I won."

At the end of the season, after the 2010 front-wing controversy "not bad for a number two driver," Webber retired from F1 for a career in the World Endurance Championship, and is now Oscar Piastri's manager.

3. Lewis Hamilton vs Fernando Alonso - Monaco/Hungary 2007

An unusual team orders situation where events a few races prior kicked off a chain that culminated in a fall-out McLaren has only just recovered from, 18 years later. 

In Monaco, the McLaren MP4-22 was the class of the field, as Fernando Alonso led a straight-forward one-two, ahead of rookie team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who felt he could have challenged Alonso for the win.

McLaren called Hamilton off, but boss Ron Dennis did a poor job of explaining this to Alonso, who felt his place as number one driver was not being appreciated. Following further skirmishes in Canada and the United States, everything erupted in qualifying in Hungary. 

At the time, in Q3, drivers would use 'fuel burn' laps to get rid of fuel in the tanks as Q3 runners were required to run the segment on the fuel load they would start the race. These fuel burn laps would then be 'credited' back after the session.

In Q3, Alonso was meant to be first out for the final runs, but Hamilton was released ahead, and then asked to let Alonso through in a simple team order. He ignored it. 

Alonso then cannily slowed to be a full lap ahead of Hamilton, and stayed exactly where he was in the pit-box until just enough time had passed to deny Hamilton a final flying lap. 

TV cameras then showed Dennis reacting angrily on the pit-wall, as the FIA got involved.

Alonso was stripped of his pole and McLaren docked constructors' points for the race, as Alonso then went nuclear.

According to BBC Sport, in a Sunday morning meeting with Dennis and Martin Whitmarsh, Alonso ordered that McLaren make Hamilton run out of fuel in the race - something Dennis could not countenance.

Alonso apologised, but also threatened to go to the FIA with further emails surrounding the spygate case McLaren had initially been cleared of months before.

FIA president Max Mosley already knew they existed and McLaren earned the $100 million fine that stands as the largest in sports history. Alonso would leave at the end of the year, and so began McLaren's downward trend, only arrested in the last few years under the Zak Brown/Andrea Stella leadership.

2. Fernando Alonso vs Felipe Massa - Germany 2010

"Fernando is faster than you, can you confirm that you understand that message?"

As a result of number #1 on this list, team orders were banned in F1, although teams still found codes to shift one driver out of the way if needed.

But none were as so blatant as this from Ferrari at the 2010 German GP, telling Felipe Massa to move aside for title-chasing Alonso. 

Massa duly followed orders exiting the hairpin, with Rob Smedley, the deliverer of the iconic "Fernando is faster than you" message, then telling the Brazilian "good lad, just stay with him now."

The move shredded any confidence Massa had in his best performance since recovering from the injuries sustained in the 2009 Hungarian GP qualifying crash - which took place exactly one year to the day prior to the German GP. 

Ferrari found itself hauled in front of the FIA, but was only fined $100,000 as team orders were once again allowed from 2011.

1. Michael Schumacher vs Rubens Barrichello - Austria 2002

The ultimate in team orders controversy. 

At the 2002 Austrian GP, Rubens Barrichello, from a commanding pole had led 69 of the 70 laps as he started the 71st and final tour of the A1 Ring - today's Red Bull Ring.

The only trouble was that behind him was Michael Schumacher, and, even just six rounds into a 17-race championship, Ferrari deployed team orders.

Boss Jean Todt, in no uncertain terms, told Barrichello "to let Michael past for the championship" - the Brazilian eventually slowing on the line to let the German past.

The winning margin was 0.182s, but Ferrari and F1 was the loser as even the drivers appeared sheepish on the podium, Schumacher forcing Barrichello onto the top-step.

It was a mirage of course as the German national anthem rang out instead of the Brazilian one as Ferrari found itself in hot water.

In the end, it was fined for not following the podium ceremony rules, and team orders were banned, until eight years later, when in Germany, Felipe found Fernando was faster than him.