Stefano Domenicali has welcomed the FIA’s abolition of the rule prohibiting team orders.

The governing body, now headed by president Jean Todt, revisited the controversial rule after Ferrari’s place-swapping during this year’s German grand prix at Hockenheim.

The Maranello based team never admitted to ordering Felipe Massa to move aside for Fernando Alonso, but at the same time has always maintained that F1 is a team sport in which team strategies are commonplace.

“Finally, we have said goodbye to this pointless hypocrisy,” said team boss Domenicali after Friday’s announcement that article 39.1 has been “deleted” for 2011.

“For us, formula one is a team sport and we have always maintained that viewpoint and it should be treated as such,” he told reporters at the Bologna motor show.

Owner-bosses of the Williams and Sauber teams provided letters of support for Ferrari’s team orders hearing in Paris earlier this week.

The existence of the letters emerged after the FIA released the full reasoning for its decision not to further penalise the famous Italian team.

According to reports, the letters – written by Sir Frank Williams and Peter Sauber – were presented to the session by a Ferrari lawyer.

“The judging body of the World Motor Sport Council was made aware that there was clear support for team orders in some quarters,” confirmed F1′s governing body.

The letters contributed to the Council’s decision to order the review of Article 39.1 of the sporting regulations because of the “uncertainty and complexity” that surrounds the issue.

And the FIA admitted there are difficulties in “detecting and policing” the deployment of team orders.

1992 world champion and former Williams driver Nigel Mansell, now occasionally a F1 steward, backed the review.

“Team orders were in F1 from the start and they exist in sports cars and at Le Mans, where a team can switch drivers if one of their cars breaks down,” he is quoted by the Express.

“If it is all out in the open, everyone will know what’s going on and that’s better for F1,” said Mansell.

Renault’s Robert Kubica agrees: “At least then teams would not need to make strange comments on the radio.”

Asked if he would move over if ordered by his team, the Pole told Spain’s El Pais: “I don’t see a problem.

“Sometimes in life you have to do things you don’t like. Many kids don’t want to do their homework, but they have to.”

Sauber driver Pedro de la Rosa has a similar opinion.

“Team orders have always existed, they still exist and everyone has been using them when they were banned. For me it’s important that we’re telling the truth because at the moment we’re deceiving people,” he said at Monza.

Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali has admitted he would like to see formula one overturn its ban on team orders.

Germany’s Bild newspaper said the Italian answered with a clear ‘yes’, adding: “F1 is a team sport.”

Currently, article 39.1 of the sporting regulations explicitly prohibits team orders, but the subject is now the topic of hot debate, given Felipe Massa’s reluctant move to let Fernando Alonso win the recent German grand prix.

Peter Sauber agrees with Domenicali: “Team orders should be allowed, because in formula one, ultimately the interests of the team are at the fore.”

Mercedes’ Ross Brawn added: “We understand that the fans are unhappy. But the teams need to work together with the FIA for a solution that takes into account the competition as well as the interests of the team.

Christian Horner’s stance against team orders is well known, and Toro Rosso’s Franz Tost agrees: “To have a fair sport, team orders must be prohibited.”

HRT’s Colin Kolles adds: “Team orders must stay banned. Otherwise the sport aspect is damaged.”

Interestingly, McLaren declined to answer Bild’s team orders survey.

The bosses and drivers of the British team have been fervently referring to the philosophy of fairness and ethics within McLaren, but others recalled Hockenheim 2008, when Heikki Kovalainen moved over for Lewis Hamilton in much the same way as Massa did for Alonso.

Kovalainen, now driving for Lotus, did not want to talk about that incident in Hungary.

“I don’t remember that,” said the Finn. “For me, there’s no point in going into the past, actually. I’m just here to race with Lotus and that’s all I can say.”

Like McLaren, bosses for Lotus, Williams, Force India, Renault and Virgin also declined to answer Bild’s survey.

F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone insisted he is happy with the publicity being generated by the saga.

“Everyone is talking about formula one — what more could you want?” the 79-year-old told Blick newspaper.

Flavio Briatore does not think Ferrari will be heavily punished by the FIA for the Hockenheim team orders affair.

The governing body is set to consider the matter no later than September 10 at its scheduled World Motor Sport Council meeting in Como, Italy.

Ferrari breached article 39.1 of the sporting regulations by ordering that Felipe Massa give way to German grand prix winner Fernando Alonso, and was also charged by the race stewards with bringing the sport into disrepute.

Former Renault boss Briatore was banned from F1 last year by the World Motor Sport Council for the Singapore crash scandal.

He told Italy’s Sky Sport 24: “This (team order) rule makes no sense and should be abolished.  Formula one is a team sport.

“I don’t believe Ferrari did anything wrong,” added the 60-year-old Italian.

“Fernando has more points than Massa and it is logical to bet on the driver with the best chance of winning the title.

“Could it have been better handled?  It’s easy to say so with hindsight, but during a race it’s different.

“It is however clear that Massa’s engineer (Rob Smedley) should not have made certain comments.  But only one guy can win the drivers’ championship.

“It is pointless to stand around being critical.  It is the rule that is completely absurd,” added Briatore.

He does not think Ferrari needs to worry about draconian penalties like exclusion from the world championship or race bans.

“The chairman of the World Council is Jean Todt, who managed Ferrari when in 2002 in Austria he ordered Barrichello to let Schumacher overtake at the chequered flag, so I think we can all relax,” laughed Briatore.

Bernie Ecclestone thinks formula one should overturn its 2002 ban on team orders.

As the sporting world debates Ferrari’s order for Felipe Massa to hand Hockenheim victory to Fernando Alonso, there are those who believe teams should be free to run their businesses on track.

“I must confess I would agree with anyone who thinks that,” said the F1 chief executive.

Article 39.1 of the sporting regulations, added after Rubens Barrichello was crassly ordered to let Michael Schumacher win the 2002 Austrian grand prix, states that “team orders which interfere with a race result are prohibited.”

The Hockenheim stewards fined Ferrari the maximum $100,000 and directed the matter to the World Motor Sport Council.

Ecclestone is a member of the FIA body, but is not sure the overturning of the ban will be on the agenda.

“I don’t know, we’ll have to see,” said the Briton.  “It’s something that needs to be discussed.”

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo this week said team orders date back to Tazio Nuvolari’s days in the 30s and 40s, and Ecclestone agrees that the practice is part of the sport.

“I believe what people do when they are inside the team and how they run their team is up to them.  Of course, if a team does something that’s dangerous then they’re going to be in trouble.  Otherwise, get on with it,” he said.