Volkswagen's Jost Capito says team orders would 'betray' WRC fans
Volkswagen team principal Jost Capito has labeled team orders as a betrayal of fans and he says he won't be using them this season
The German outfit has dominated this year's WRC winning all five rounds, but Capito is encouraging his drivers to fight each other to ensure the watching world is entertained.
When Jari-Matti Latvala and Sebastien Ogier were battling for victory on the recent Rally Argentina, there was speculation that team orders would be applied to safeguard Volkswagen's result.
Capito said he wouldn't countenance such a move.
"We are in there for the sport and for the fans out there," he said.
"It would have been a betrayal to the fans if, with these two guys a minute ahead of everybody else, to say that they come home in that order and they will not race anymore.
"If we do this then why should the fans come out and watch anymore? If a team is in the position that we are in, then there is a responsibility to give something for the sport - you just can't say: 'OK, we are in the safe position, now we drive this championship home,' you have to give something back.
Can Latvala keep Ogier on the ropes?
"I am coming from the sport and what we do is for the fans and for the sport. You just can't do it in a different way, if we do it in a different way and take the team orders then the championship is devalued because people are not watching.
"If we had team orders, it would destroy the value and you can't do this to the sport. It's not fair on the championship."
Capito added that mistakes from other drivers flattered Volkswagen's position in South America.
"It would be great if the other manufacturers would have been closer in to the fight in Argentina," he said. "But it's not that we were so dominant there - the other guys did the mistake on this rally.
"Mikko [Hirvoen] is quick and [Mads] Ostberg is quick and they did the mistake on the first day, so it's not fair to say we are dominating if the two drivers who can challenge us make the mistake - and this can happen to us as well.
"Anybody can make a mistake."
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