Ferrari fined

HOCKENHEIM, Germany (AP):

Ferrari was found guilty of breaking team order rules and fined after Felipe Massa appeared to let teammate Fernando Alonso pass him to win the German Grand Prix yesterday.

Ferrari's one-two finish stood for the day, but race stewards sent the case to the sport's governing body, which could impose more sanctions.

"In the interests of the sport, we have decided not to go through a procedure of appealing against it, confident that the International Automobile Federation (FIA) world council will know how to evaluate the overall facts correctly," Ferrari team chief Stefano Domenicali said.

The ruling spoiled a good race for Ferrari, which likely would have had both drivers at the top, albeit in reverse order. But Alonso is closer to the title race and the team apparently felt he needed the winner's 25 points more than Massa.

Massa, racing on the first anniversary of a crash that nearly killed him, led the Formula One race for 49 of 67 laps, before he was passed by Alonso following Ferrari messages over the team radio. He looked anything but happy after the race and the two drivers barely hugged as they climbed out of their red cars.

"A driver always wants to win, so I cannot be completely happy with second place," Massa said in comments distributed by Ferrari.

Ferrari team leaders were summoned to report to the stewards after the race as team orders which affect the result are forbidden under Formula One rules. The team subsequently was fined US$100,000, but the result of the race was not changed.

The stewards said Ferrari was in breach of Article 39.1 of the FIA 2010 sporting regulations.

Article 39.1 says: "Team orders that interfere with race results are prohibited."

The stewards also sent the case to FIA's council for further consideration.

"I don't think I have to say anything to that," said Massa, when asked after the race about the instructions. "We work for the team."

Alonso, who is ahead of Massa in the drivers' standings, won his second race of the season and Ferrari finished one-two for the second time this year.

"This is a very strong result for the team, we just have to continue like this," said Alonso, a two-time Formula One champion who clinched his 23rd career race victory.

"I don't know what happened, but at the exit of turn six I saw Felipe a little bit slow. Sometimes you are quick, sometimes you are slow, and in some parts I was quicker than him, in some other parts of the race, Felipe was very quick and pulling away from Sebastian and me, so it is very difficult to judge," Alonso said.

Sebastian Vettel of Germany was third in his Red Bull. Championship leader Lewis Hamilton of Britain in a McLaren was fourth and now leads the overall standings on 157 points, 14 ahead of teammate Jenson Button who came fifth.