Casey Stoner and Andrea Dovizioso against team orders

The Repsol Honda team should never contemplate controversial team orders, according to factory riders Casey Stoner and Andrea Dovizioso.

The issue of whether team orders should be considered arose after the recent Italian Grand Prix in Mugello when Dovizioso passed Aussie team-mate Stoner for second place on the final lap.

The move cost Stoner four more points and saw Mugello winner Jorge Lorenzo cut his advantage in the rankings to 19-points after eight rounds of the 2011 campaign.

But Stoner said it was way too early to consider team orders coming into play while Italian Dovizioso was still firmly in the title hunt going into this weekend’s Sachsenring race in Germany.

And the 2007 world champion said he was wholly opposed to team orders being used at any stage of the season.

Team orders have been a controversial subject in Formula One and the issue came to the fore again at Silverstone last weekend when Mark Webber ignored instructions not to race Red Bull team-mate Sebastien Vettel for second place.

Former factory Ducati rider Stoner said: “I don’t really believe in team orders. Maybe you can win a championship with team orders, but to me this really doesn’t feel like a championship. I think there’s a better way to win. I don’t think there should ever really be team orders. It’s not football; you’re not all on the same team playing for the same thing. We’re each our own person. And Andrea still has a very good chance of the championship, so I don’t really believe in team orders.”

Dovizioso agreed and he said: “Honda having all three with Repsol means they want all three factory riders to try and win, so they want to fight with everybody.”

Factory Yamaha rider Lorenzo though has a different view and he said team orders should be a part of MotoGP if required at the end of the season.

The Spaniard said: “I don’t have the same opinion as them, especially at the end of the year. If your team-mate can help you and he is not fighting for the championship, we are a team. Our salary is coming from our brand and our brand has to win. When I won the 250cc championship in 2006 with Alex (Debon) as a partner at Aprilia, he helped a little bit in Valencia. It’s a team, not like soccer, but it’s a team and your brand is very important.”

Lorenzo though agreed that it was wrong to expect team orders to play a part in the season before the halfway stage has even been reached.

He added: “Andrea is also fighting for the championship, so he also can win the world title. So if can beat Casey, he must try.”