Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says it would have been more of a surprise if Mercedes hadn't used team orders in Sochi, and insists he would have done the same.
Mercedes was widely criticised for asking Valtteri Bottas to hand the lead of the race to team-mate and championship leader Lewis Hamillton, costing the Finnish driver what would have been his first win of the season.
Bottas was visibly unhappy after the race, but Horner says fans must not forget Formula 1 is a team sport and given Bottas is effectively out of the running for the title, Mercedes has to throw its weight behind Hamilton.
"It shouldn't have been a surprise," Horner told the media. "I'm surprised it would have been a surprise to anybody.
"It's very easy to forget that F1 is a team sport. The drivers ultimately drive for the team."
Horner says the only surprising element is that Mercedes didn't inform Bottas prior to the race that they would implement team orders.
"What was I suppose slightly confusing about that is that it wasn't all pre-discussed and agreed going into the event.
"You are fighting for a world championship [and] in that situation it only takes a couple of DNFs [to lose it]," added Horner.
"It's a constant battle between a drivers' championship and the self interest of the drivers and the collective interest of the team.
"So you can understand the rationale behind it. It just sounds like the execution wasn't pre-discussed."
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