[Racer Duck]

Ferrari drivers to start off equal, says new boss
By Mark Meadows

MADONNA DI CAMPIGLIO, Italy, Jan 9 (Reuters) - World champion Kimi Raikkonen will not be given preferential treatment over Brazilian team mate Felipe Massa this season, Ferrari's new team boss Stefano Domenicali said on Wednesday.

Ferrari have shuffled their management lineup this year despite also wrapping up the constructors' championship last season after McLaren were fined $100 million and stripped of all their constructors' points after a spying scandal.

Former sporting director Domenicali has replaced Jean Todt, who has reverted to his role of chief executive of the overall company. However, Domenicali plans few changes to a winning formula after Finn Raikkonen's success last year.

"What counts are the rules of engagement, those are equal to last year. The priority is the well-being of the team. In this sense Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa start off equal," he told a news conference at Ferrari's winter ski retreat in northen Italy.

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[Bob Tanner]

Does anyone even halfway familiar with F1 actually believe this?

Am I being a little too cynical, DOF? I just can't imagine any F1 team without team orders.

[DOF_power]

The Schumacher era is over at Ferrari.
So that means if one driver in the second half gets the edge over his team mate, he will be supported if the situation is critical in the battle with another team's contender.
The way Raikkonen won the WDC in 2007 is that in the last race he got "a little help" from team mate Massa and the team in finishing in P1 and Massa in P2. In fact, it's more like the McLaren boys (Hamilton and Alonso) lost, than than Ferrari's Raikkonen won.
Ferrari were quite fair-play in 2007.