Racing fans the world over have spent last week whining about Ferrari's conduct at the German grand prix when they 'ordered' Felipe Massa to allow Fernando Alonso to win the race.

They have claimed, and rightly so it has to be said, that the Italian team's action was unfair and very much against the rules of the sport.

Unfortunately, what they have failed to take into account as they sit up on their exceptionally high, non-Ferrari horses is that these 'team orders' were absolutely inevitable.

Given the circumstances it was always going to happen, and any team in a similar position would have done exactly the same. In fact, I would suggest that is why they have all been relatively quiet on the issue, leaving the fans and commentators to do the complaining.

Barring a miracle, Massa was already out of the title race. Alonso is now, courtesy of this incident, very much in it. Ferrari, by the very nature of the sport and the fact that they race two cars, are a team. They did what they did because in any competitive sport the interests of the team have to come before those of the individual.

Massa, of course, was not impressed with what happened. In fact, I would probably go as far as to say that he chucked his teddy out of the pram. Even Alonso greeted his win with a fair amount of embarrassment.

But both men, the Brazilian in particular, have to realise that Ferrari sign their pay cheques and it is up to them how to run their team. They could, if they so desired, tell their drivers to spend an entire race in first gear. It might not make sense and it might blow the engine, but it would be a team decision.

The main thing that this issue has highlighted is the idiocy of the rule which makes team orders illegal. I would suggest not only is that unfair on the teams under normal circumstances; it is also almost impossible to police.

Ferrari got caught and punished because of a radio message sent to Massa which was interpreted by the world as being a coded order to let Alonso through. And let's make no mistake - that's exactly what it was.

But they could just as easily have agreed in the garage before the race - or over dinner six months ago - that if the two drivers found themselves in that position then the leader should ease off and allow his colleague to overtake.

If Ferrari are guilty of anything it is making the move obvious rather than trying to do it subtly. But do we really want teams sneakily fixing results when we will all still suspect that is what is being done anyway?

At the end of the day we all want to see races won fair and square. We want to see the best drivers competing on a level playing field and fighting with everyone else to come top of the podium.

But we can't lose sight of the fact that Formula One is a team sport. And the interests of the team will, and should, always come out on top.

That's the way it has to be.

The hurricane blows over

Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins was a true sporting legend.

In the 1970s and 1980s he almost single handedly revitalised snooker and gave what was once seen as an elitist game appeal to the masses. He was one of the first sportsmen to be crowned as a 'people's champion', and that is exactly what he was.

Sadly, the once energetic, fun-loving Irishman died alone in his Belfast flat, the effects of fighting throat cancer for many years finally taking their toll. It was a low-key and lonely death for a man notorious for living life to the full.

When you look back at his life, many people will highlight heavy drinking, chain-smoking and womanising as his three most infamous traits. And, in his prime, it is fair to say those three things did take up a considerable chunk of his time and energy.

But it is what he was able to do on the snooker table that allowed him to make his mark on the sport and earn himself millions of fans.

Back in the late 1970s I was lucky enough to see him play in person while he was taking part in the Embassy World Championships at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.

And in full flow he was stunning to watch.

As his nickname suggests the Hurricane wasn't the sort of player to take time between shots. Where more steady and sensible players would spend minutes lining up a shot and calculating where the cue ball would come to rest, Higgins would walk up, bend down and give the ball a good thrashing.

It was almost as if he had some sixth sense that allowed him to make shots other players would need complex mathematical calculations to accomplish. For example, the average amount of time needed to make a break of 100 is roughly 10 minutes, but Higgins could do it in under three. Youtube have a video of him doing just that. (Watch it at www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5BYbSfOtVU).

As a very young child, watching Higgins play was my first real experience of a sport other than football. And they don't come much more memorable than watching him storm his way round a snooker table like a man possessed.

It is desperately sad that he died the way he did when he could and should have been enjoying his old age. He earned millions during his career but blew the lot living the high life. His latter days were spent trawling snooker halls, playing for £20 a game or even a round of drinks.

But, personally speaking, I won't let his final days detract from my memories of a man who was a true legend.

How the world of snooker could do with another Hurricane to blow through town and liven it up again now...

Home is where Cesc's heart is

Cesc Fabregas may be with Arsenal in body this season, but I have serious doubts that he will be there in spirit.

To be honest I admire the tough stance Arsene Wenger is taking with Barcelona, insisting that they won't get their man no matter how much their flutter their eyelids in his direction.

I find the lengths to which the Spanish club and its players have gone to try and unsettle Fabregas quite disgusting and they should certainly be given some sort of punishment by the authorities for blatantly courting a contracted player.

But I have to admit I have serious misgivings about any club making a player stay with them if they are not 100 per cent committed to the cause.

I'm not suggesting Fabregas will not try his best for Arsenal over the coming season. He is too professional for that to be the case.

But there will always be a nagging doubt at the back of his mind that maybe he would have been better off back at his hometown club, a tiny flicker of resentment that he wasn't allowed to make the move.

If Fabregas had come out and publicly stated that he doesn't want to leave, is perfectly happy in London and looking forward to staying there another four years then it would be a different kettle of fish.

But he hasn't. In fact, from what I understand he has admitted it is a matter of when and not if he returns to Barcelona.

And that to me means that - at the very least - a little bit of the man's mind is already back at the Camp Nou.

When that happens, I believe history has taught us that clubs are better off cashing in and finding players whose focus is clear.

sportscolumnist@timesofmalta.com