What does ‘allowed to race’ mean?

Formula 1Formula 1 is the pinnacle of open-wheel,  single-seater car racing and arguably the highest level of any motorsport globally. Also... There's more... is unique in as much as a driver’s teammate can be their biggest competitor. Each team has two cars fighting for the constructor’s titleFormula 1 runs two competitions over the course of a season, the Drivers title and the Constructors title. Points are... There's more... and two contract drivers each fighting for the driver’s titleFormula 1 runs two competitions over the course of a season, the Drivers title and the Constructors title. Points are... There's more....

A driver’s performance is benchmarked against his teammate so they often find themselves battling for position. When drivers are allowed to raceEach team has two cars fighting for the constructor’s title and two drivers, each fighting for the driver’s title. This... There's more... it means the team is leaving them to work it out on track. The opposite is ‘team orders’, where the team gives the drivers instructions, such as, “swap positions”.

One of the worst scenarios for a team is their own cars taking each other out of the race through an unnecessary incident.

In order to finish first, first you have to finish.