Crisis-hit Red Bull face tough decisions

Webber to ponder future with team in wake of Malaysian GP debacle.

KUALA LAMPUR: Red Bull faced a pivotal moment yesterday in their push for a fourth straight double world title, with the team in crisis after Sebastian Vettel defied strict orders at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Team principal Christian Horner admitted the British-based outfit would have difficult discussions after Vettel’s late overtaking manoeuvre incensed stablemate Mark Webber and left him considering his future.

As Webber, robbed of victory by Vettel’s late pass, flew back to Australia for a surfing break, and Vettel headed in the other direction to Europe, the team’s deep divisions recalled the tensions of some of the sport’s great internal rivalries.

With Webber leading Sunday’s race into the closing stages and Vettel on his tail, the team issued a coded order for the drivers to hold their positions and not risk wearing out their tyres or colliding.

Vettel later apologised profusely to Webber but stopped short of pledging he would compensate for his error by returning the favour if he gets the chance.



Horner, who had publicly rebuked Vettel over the team radio, said he would discuss the matter with the drivers in private — with the continuation of Red Bull’s hegemony at stake.

“What happened in the race is frustrating for the team,” said Horner. “Formula One is both a team and an individual sport and sometimes there is a conflict between a driver’s desire and a team’s interest.

“What happened today is something that shouldn’t have happened. It’s something that Sebastian has apologised for and it’s something that we will discuss internally as a team.”

Webber to consider future with team

However, it will take masterful diplomacy to placate the angry Webber, who has long believed Red Bull shows favouritism to Vettel, and persuade him that the young German can be trusted.

“Let’s just say that there were a lot of things going through my mind in the last 15 laps of the Grand Prix, lots of different reasons, not just from today but also from the past as well,” said Webber, who admitted he considered quitting the team and the sport.

“I think it’s very early days right now, the season is still very raw, obviously, and we need to work out how the team best goes forwards from here. That’s obviously going to be discussed this week.

“I will be in Australia on my surfboard, the phone won’t be engaged. We’ll see what happens in the next few days.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 26^th, 2013.