Lewis Hamilton scored his first victory of the season after a thrilling race at the Istanbul Park circuit. His McLaren team-mate Jenson Button finished in second scoring a perfect result for the team following a crash between the Red Bull drivers.
Mark Webber was driving faultlessly from the front, resisting huge pressure from the faster McLaren of Hamilton initially. But then a crash involving his own Red Bull Racing team-mate Sebastian Vettel meant the team threw away victory in the Turkish Grand Prix.
The pair had been leading comfortably following the first round of pit stops, but on lap 40 Vettel tried a move past the leading car of Webber on the run down to Turn 12.
Vettel drafted alongside out of the Turn 11 kink and drew level down the inside approaching the final complex. The pair suddenly made high-speed contact, the German appeared to move across slightly on the Australian – with the Vettel’s right-rear tyre tagging with Webber’s left-front.
The accident forced Vettel out on the spot with heavy damage to his right-rear tyre, while Webber was able to continue before coming into the pits on lap 42 for a new nosecone on the RB6.
The clash of team-mates, which left team principal Christian Horner and technical director Adrian Newey holding their heads in the hands on the pit wall, handed the lead to McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, with the former taking his first victory since Singapore 2009.
There was another tense moment between team-mates as the McLarens began some close racing of their own. As light drizzle started, Button got a run on Hamilton towards Turn 12 with nine laps left to the flag. With Hamilton defending the inside, Button went right around the outside – giving him the racing line and the lead at Turn 13.
But Button’s lead lasted only the length of the pit straight, with Hamilton diving back to the inside into Turn 1 and through a narrowing gap to take the lead. With McLaren frantically urging its drivers to conserve fuel thereafter as it kept an eye on some consumption issues, that was the end of the battle.
Michael Schumacher held onto fourth place with his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg, Renault’s Robert Kubica plus the Ferraris of Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso chasing the seven-time champion home to the chequered flag.
A slightly early tyre stop and quick laps thereafter allowed Alonso to at least gain some ground following his disastrous qualifying. He then spent most of the race trying to get around Vitaly Petrov’s Renault, finally succeeding around the outside at Turn 3 in the closing laps – with a brush between giving Petrov a right-front puncture. He rejoined to grab fastest lap at the end.
A late pass by Adrian Sutil in the Force India on the Sauber of Kamui Kobayashi resolved a race-long battle for what eventually became ninth, and left the Japanese to fend off his team-mate Pedro de la Rosa to take the final championship point.
Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi and the Williams of Nico Hulkenberg were both delayed by first lap damage, while a poor start dropped Rubens Barrichello down among the new teams in the second Williams.
As for the battle between the new teams, Lotus F1 Racing was comfortably clear over Virgin and Hispania until both Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen suffered hydraulic failures within moments of each other, allowing Timo Glock to take unofficial class honours.
So a great result for Lewis Hamilton and the McLaren team. For the 2008 world champion, this race victory was well deserved following Hamilton’s sheer determination to race and beat his Red Bull rivals.
In scoring a one-two finish, the Woking-based outfit jumps into the lead in the constructors’ standing by a single point over their rivals. Mark Webber retains his lead in the drivers’ championship with 93 points although Jenson Button is only five points behind with Turkish Grand Prix winner Lewis Hamilton only nine adrift.
Race results from Istanbul Park:
1. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1h28:47.620
2. Button McLaren-Mercedes +2.645
3. Webber Red Bull-Renault +24.285
4. Schumacher Mercedes +31.110
5. Rosberg Mercedes +32.266
6. Kubica Renault +32.824
7. Massa Ferrari +36.635
8. Alonso Ferrari +46.544
9. Sutil Force India-Mercedes +49.029
10. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari +1:05.650
11. De la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari +1:05.944
12. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari +1:07.800
13. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes +1 lap
14. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth +1 lap
15. Petrov Renault +1 lap
16. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari +1 lap
17. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth +1 lap
18. Glock Virgin-Cosworth +2 laps
19. Di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth +3 laps
Fastest lap: Petrov, 1:29.165
Not classified/retirements:
Chandhok HRT-Cosworth 53 laps
Senna HRT-Cosworth 47 laps
Vettel Red Bull-Renault 40 laps
Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 34 laps
Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 33 laps
World Championship standings, round 7:
Drivers:
1. Webber 93
2. Button 88
3. Hamilton 84
4. Alonso 79
5. Vettel 78
6. Massa 67
7. Kubica 67
8. Rosberg 66
9. Schumacher 34
10. Sutil 22
11. Liuzzi 10
12. Barrichello 7
13. Petrov 6
14. Alguersuari 3
15. Hulkenberg 1
16. Buemi 1
17. Kobayashi 1
Constructors:
1. McLaren-Mercedes 172
2. Red Bull-Renault 171
3. Ferrari 146
4. Mercedes 100
5. Renault 73
6. Force India-Mercedes 32
7. Williams-Cosworth 8
8. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 4
9. Sauber-Ferrari 1
Next race: Canadian Grand Prix, Montreal. June 11-13.
The top three drivers’ views on the Turkish Grand Prix, as taken from Autosport.com.
Lewis Hamilton hopes that McLaren’s Istanbul one-two has given it the momentum it needs in the battle for the world championship against Red Bull.
McLaren is back in front in the constructors’ championship following the Turkish Grand Prix, its fortunes having turned around when Red Bull’s Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel collided while first and second, handing the race to McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.
“Red Bull made it tough for us and we put up a good fight,” said Hamilton. “You can see how close it is between the four of us. It’s down to momentum, and we will do the best we can to win both championships.
“We have been ragging their tails for some time. It’s such an achievement for us, to really be able to take the battle to them. They had one strength that was particularly good here, we had a strength here, and we didn’t know how it would pan here.
“Me and Jenson were able to compete with them and push our hardest to be on their tails. To get our second 1-2 is fantastic.”
Hamilton had a prime view as Webber and Vettel’s collision unfolded just ahead of him. The Briton was unwilling to apportion blame, but joked that it had been a spectacular – and welcome – sight.
“It was great to watch. Like watching an action movie in HD or 3D,” said Hamilton. “It was fantastic. I got the best view of it!
“Sebastian is safe, but I just saw Seb go up the inside, Mark held his line and no room to move right, and no reason for Seb to move to the right. It was unfortunate for them and fortunate for us.”
Jenson Button was full of praise for his McLaren team after closing the gap on Red Bull in the Turkish Grand Prix.
Button finished in second place behind team-mate Lewis Hamilton after Red Bull drivers Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel made contact while fighting for the lead.
Both Button and Hamilton, however, were right behind the Red Bull duo for most of the race.
The current world champion admitted his team’s pace had been very encouraging after weeks of Red Bull dominance.
“The pace of our car was very good and it was great to be battling with the Red Bulls,” said Button, five points behind championship leader Webber.
“So many times we have seen them disappear into the distance.
“I had a battle with Lewis at the end,” added the Briton, who also made contact with his team-mate while battling for the lead.
“We were both told to save fuel but it’s always difficult to know how much and when Lewis got back past me I was told to keep saving and I think it got a bit critical towards the end.
“It was fun to battle at the end with Lewis. We got a 1-2 so the team should be happy with the result this weekend. A few weeks ago you could say we might not be able to challenge the Red Bulls, so we have to say thanks to the team.”
He added: “The pace of the car was good. As soon as the Red Bulls were out of way we picked up the pace. It was a good fun race.
“It’s nice to be battling at front, where the car should be, so great job from the whole team improving the car. We are so much closer to the Red Bulls now.”
Mark Webber said Red Bull team-mate Sebastian Vettel was at fault in the crash that cost the team an almost sure victory in Turkey.
Vettel and Webber made contact when the German attempted to pass the Australian for the lead. The incident forced Vettel into retirement, while Webber had to pit for repairs, handing McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton the lead.
While Vettel said he was not at fault, Webber claimed his team-mate had turned right too early, thus causing the crash.
“Seb had good a top speed advantage and he went down the inside. We were side by side and then looks kike he turned pretty quickly to the right and we made contact,” said Webber.
“It definitely happened fast. It’s a shame for the team, but not an ideal day. The McLarens were solid today. It was good race between all four of us up until then.
“Neither want to make contact but it can happen sometimes when both are in front. It is never ideal but it happened.”
The Australian, still leading the championship after finishing in third, said the win was still not guaranteed at the point of the accident.
“There was a long way to go in the race so it was not a guaranteed victory,” he said. “I still got a few points, but it was an interesting few metres on track between both of us. It wasn’t the result neither of us wanted.”
As for the collision between the Red Bulls, Sebastian Vettel insist he was not at fault for the crash against his team-mate. Autosport.com has the story.
Sebastian Vettel was adamant that he was not to blame for the collision with team-mate Mark Webber that cost Red Bull Racing a one-two finish in the Turkish Grand Prix.
Webber was leading Vettel on lap 41, with the McLarens just behind, when the German drew alongside approaching Turn 12. But the pair made contact, with Webber going wide and falling to third and Vettel forced to retire. McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button went on to finish first and second.
“Obviously, I think if you look at the pictures it was clear I had the inside,” said Vettel. “I went on the inside, I was ahead and just going down to focus on the braking point and honestly, you can see we touched and he touched my right rear wheel and I went off.”
He denied that the collision was going to put the intra-team relationships at Red Bull under strain.
“There is no fight,” Vettel insisted. “This is something that happens. We do not need it but there is nothing we can do now.
“Obviously I am not very happy, I was inside focusing on the braking point, we touched and that was it.”
He did not think he was clearly faster than Webber at that point, but was confident he could have completed the pass.
“I think at that stage, Mark, myself and Lewis were pretty much the same,” Vettel said. “I was a bit quicker than Mark, I was getting closer and I knew I could maybe get him on the back straight. It was close, I passed him on the left and that was the story.”
In addition, F1 Fantatic has posted a poll on this incident. Read the article and cast your opinion via this link:
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2010/05/30/webber-and-vettel-lose-one-two-finish-for-red-bull-after-collision/
Red Bull Racing’s team boss Christian Horner has expressed his view on the incident and said it was too early to say on who was at fault. The full story can be read below as taken from Autosport.com.
Christian Horner said it was too early to pin blame on either of his drivers for the collision that denied Red Bull Racing a one-two finish in Turkey – but said they should never have given each other so little space.
Red Bull looked set for its third straight victory and its third one-two of 2010 at Istanbul until Sebastian Vettel’s lap 41 bid to pass Mark Webber for the lead ended in a high-speed collision. Webber was able to recover to third to retain his drivers’ championship lead, but Vettel had to retire.
“From a team perspective I’m really disappointed because the team had done everything right – we’d out-strategied the McLarens, who were strong today,” Horner told the BBC. “To see both cars touch each other was really disappointing.
“I’ve spoken to Sebastian, he got a run and they should never had been where they were. It’s really disappointing for the team – it’s cost them a lot of points.
“The priority is to beat the other teams and today we handed 43 points on a plate to McLaren. The team really deserved to win this race. We need to sit down, go through it and come back stronger at the next event.”
Horner emphasised that Red Bull allowed the drivers to race each other – provided they did so fairly.
“What we always ask is that the drivers give each other room,” he said. “Today neither yielded, and the result was the team losing a lot of points, Mark losing a lots of points and Sebastian losing a lot of points – the net result is everybody loses.
“We saw today with Jenson [Button] and Lewis [Hamilton], they raced each other and they gave each other space, and that’s what we ask.”
F1 Fanatic has posted its race report online and can be read here:
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2010/05/30/mclaren-take-one-two-as-red-bull-hit-self-destruct-turkish-gp-review/
in addition, the website has posted laptimes and data on the lead up to the Red Bull collision:
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2010/05/30/how-vettel-and-webber-got-on-a-collision-course-turkish-gp-team-by-team/
As for Ferrari, taking part in their 800th Grand Prix, double world champion Fernando Alonso has admitted that the Scuderia couldn’t match the performance over the McLarens and Red Bulls. Autosport,com has the story and can be seen below:
Fernando Alonso says his Ferrari team is too far from McLaren and Red Bull following a disappointing Turkish Grand Prix.
The two-time champion finished the Istanbul race in a distant eighth position after having qualified down in 12th.
Alonso admitted Ferrari’s lack of pace has taken the team by surprise, and he reckons the Italian squad is currently level with Renault.
“We have been a bit surprised, as both in Barcelona and here we were not too competitive,” he told Spanish television after the race.
“All race Felipe fought with Rosberg and I fought with Petrov, so we are at Renault’s level, which is obviously not enough.
“We have an improvement for Canada and then for Valencia we have a bigger package. But we know McLaren and Red Bull are very far away, and we don’t know if that’s enough, so we have to work very hard.”
The Spaniard, however, said he was happy to remain a contender in the championship despite the lack of results.
He is 14 points behind Red Bull’s Mark Webber.
“The points are good. Logically we wanted more but we were third in the championship, now we are fourth so we are still there.
“We don’t have the fastest car, and yet we are one point ahead of Vettel, so we aren’t doing too bad.”
Kamui Kobayashi took the final championship point with tenth and by finishing the Turkish Grand Prix, the Sauber team are pleased by this result following a difficult start to 2010. Autosport.com has the story and can be seen in full below:
Sauber’s technical director James Key welcomed the team’s first point of the season following a double-finish in the Turkish Grand Prix.
Japanese driver Kamui Kobayashi came home in 10th position to end the team’s point-less streak following a difficult start to the season.
Pedro de la Rosa finished right behind his team-mate as Sauber got both cars to the finish for the first time this year.
Key said the result was a deserved one.
“I’m very pleased we scored a point at this event,” said Key. “It was also good that we had a two car finish. It was fairly eventful in many ways, because, to begin with, it was a case of making sure we were matching the top ten pace, which Kamui did superbly well.
“Towards the end Kamui’s tyres went off quite badly at the front, and he lost quite a lot of lap time, which allowed Pedro and some other cars to catch him up.
“But the fact is both came home in tenth and 11th. I think this is deserved by everyone and we should be very pleased with this result.”
Kobayashi was delighted with his first point of the year.
“I am very happy that we finished the race with both cars and got the first point,” he said. “In the end I could see from the car the canvas on the front right tyre. Therefore I started to be very careful, especially in turn 8, and that’s also the reason why I didn’t defend any harder against Adrian Sutil.”
De la Rosa added: “Certainly I would have been fighting at the end if it hadn’t been my team-mate in front of me. Our team needed desperately to bring both cars home and score this point. You have to be careful taking risks and this was not the time to attack and risk losing everything.
“It is better this point stays with us rather then going somewhere else. We finished this race being competitive and this is very good.”
Mark Webber had to turn his engine down on the lap that Sebastian Vettel tried to pull a move on him for the lead, Red Bull Racing has confirmed, but the team insists that was still no excuse for its drivers colliding.
Mystery surrounded the exact circumstances of what happened on lap 40, when Vettel closed in on Webber and drafted past him on the back straight before they crashed into each other.
Suspicions that all was not straightforward surfaced immediately after the race when Webber told journalists in the post-race press conference that they should ‘dig more’ to find out what had really happened.
Although the team initially believed that both its drivers were running exactly the same engine settings during their battle for the lead, the post-race debrief on Sunday night revealed that Webber had needed to save fuel and turn his engine down on lap 40 – while Vettel was still able to run at full power.
Even though such an order may not have come directly from the pits via the radio, a readout on Webber’s dashboard would probably have told him that he needed to begin conserving fuel.
Vettel had been able to save fuel when running behind other cars early on, and he had enough extra petrol on board to be able to run one more lap at full power before he too would have had to turn his engine down.
That meant his only realistic chance of getting past Webber was on lap 40, when he would have enjoyed a brief car advantage over his team-mate.
Speaking in the Istanbul paddock on Sunday night, team principal Christian Horner said that he was finally aware of what had happened in the race.
“We now have all the facts,” he said. “Mark had changed down into a fuel saving mode that cost him a little bit of performance on the straights, which also explains how Sebastian got a very clear run on him.
“The large mistake remains that not enough room was given, and the explanation is there on how Sebastian had managed to get into the tow. He had managed to save an extra kilogramme of fuel – as both cars start the race with the same amount of fuel.
“Effectively he had one more lap of the optimum engine mode, but we couldn’t back him off because he was under pressure from Lewis Hamilton behind.”
He added: “The frustrating thing is we have given away 28 points today and it should have been a 1-2. Both drivers have also lost points. From a team point of view it doesn’t matter which way around they are, but the priority is to finish 1-2 and that is exactly what we should have done today.”
Horner did not feel either driver was any more responsible than the other for the crash – but said that he was disappointed they had not given each other enough room.
“I think Mark put Sebastian on the dirty side, gave him just enough room and Sebastian came across obviously quite aggressively – but he was quite a long way down the side.
“So, it was very, very frustrating. We saw the McLarens racing each other and giving themselves a bit more room, we’ve seen drivers racing each other previously in Malaysia – which springs to mind as a recent race and they are usually very, very good at giving each other room. Today, for whatever reason, that didn’t happen.”
Horner was confident, however, that there would be no lingering hard-feeling between the drivers over the crash – and that Red Bull Racing would be able to shift its focus on to winning the next race on the calendar in Canada.
“Absolutely. This will be dealt with before we go to Canada. I’ve spoken to both drivers. They are both grown ups, they are both big boys, they are both competitors, and the most important thing is that we have given away a load of points today. It must not happen again. They must learn from it.
“It is right to let the drivers race. We saw McLaren today letting their drivers race, but when drivers are in the same team it is important that they give each other a bit more respect and concede if one has got a run on the other.”
Horner also denied suggestions that the Turkish Grand Prix provided any evidence that Red Bull Racing favoured Vettel over Webber.
“Both our drivers are treated absolutely equally,” he said. “They both have the same equipment, they both have the same opportunity. That is a policy we operate and that is the way that the team is – he managed to save a bit more fuel because he was in a slipstream for some of the race and he took advantage of that – as is his right to do.
“He [Vettel] was under a lot of pressure from Hamilton behind, which got him into a position to pass Mark. Our priority at that stage is that we want to win the race. Even if the cars wanted to change position we were still first and second, and it is still 43 points for the team and both drivers were pulling away from McLaren in the championship.”
Source: Autosport.com
The Red Bull Racing team have denied favouring Sebastian Vettel for the Formula One World Championship. Autosport.com has the details.
Red Bull’s motorsport advisor Helmut Marko insists that both its Formula 1 team’s drivers are treated exactly the same – even though he has publicly blamed Mark Webber for trying to defend his position during his Turkish Grand Prix crash.
Webber and team-mate Sebastian Vettel collided in their fight for the lead at Istanbul – throwing away the team’s chances of taking the win, and handing victory to main title rivals McLaren.
But although it has emerged that race leader Webber’s position was compromised by having to turn his engine down to save fuel, while Vettel was allowed to attack him at full power, Marko is adamant both men are given a fair and equal chance.
“We are handling our team and both drivers in the same way,” insisted Marko. “Vettel was under such pressure and if such a situation comes up – you have to look after the team. We still could have been 1-2.”
Marko says Vettel was allowed to attack Webber because there was no option to back him off – as Lewis Hamilton was right behind the Red Bull Racing drivers.
“It wasn’t a situation where we were racing each other,” said Marko. “We were under enormous pressure from the McLarens – they were much faster on the straights so we had to gain our advantage in the corners.
“He had to attack otherwise he would have got overtaken by Hamilton – it would have been completely different if the McLarens were 10-seconds behind, but that wasn’t the case.”
Asked for his views on the accident, Marko reckons that Vettel was in the right to turn across the track, even with Webber there, since the German had got his nose ahead.
“He [Vettel] was already ahead, at least two metres ahead, and there was a corner to the left side coming, so he had to go for the line,” he said. “He cannot brake on the dirt because for sure he knows what happens.
“But it was unnecessary the whole situation. We will talk with everybody quite clearly to make it not happen again.”
Marko said that he had spoken to Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz and he explained the Austrian was ‘not amused’ by the events of Turkey.
Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel have been told by their team that they will not be allowed to take any bad feelings from their Turkish Grand Prix clash into the next race of the season – as Red Bull Racing chiefs vow to move quickly to try and prevent the situation spiralling out of control.
With neither driver accepting responsibility for the accident, and team chiefs in disagreement about who was to blame for the crash that cost Red Bull Racing victory in Istanbul, the outfit faces a huge distraction from its on-track efforts.
And with the fallout from the crash prompting fans and media to suggest that the events of Turkey show that factions of the outfit are favouring Vettel over Webber, the matter is not going to be easy one to draw a line under.
However, team principal Christian Horner has promised to move quickly to try and get the situation sorted as best he can – and has said he will do everything he can to not let tensions simmer below the surface.
“The most important thing, and I have had this situation before with drivers in different formulas, is to get issues out into the open, deal with them and that is exactly what we will do here,” Horner told AUTOSPORT about how he intended to act on dealing with the matter.
“There is no animosity between the drivers. They are both competitive. They are both hungry animals, and it is down to us to ensure that they learn from this and it doesn’t happen again.”
Horner thinks both Webber and Vettel will take on board the fact that they not only wrecked their afternoons in Turkey, but also those of the team they work for.
“I think both drivers will look at it, they will reflect on it, and it is important they learn from it,” he said.
“They represent a whole team and Red Bull when they are out their driving, and they know that what has happened has cost not only themselves but the team, and Red Bull, a lot of points.”
And although Red Bull’s motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has blamed Webber for the incident, Horner has adopted a more balanced view – claiming both drivers have to share the blame.
“They should never have been where they were on the circuit,” he said. “It needs both of them to realise. You need a bit of co-operation from both, and they both played hard ball and we saw the net result.”
Source: Autosport.com
Red Bull Racing has conceded that it was wrong to pin the blame on Mark Webber for the clash with team-mate Sebastian Vettel in Turkey last weekend – with the team now believing their coming-together was simply an ‘unnecessary’ racing accident.
In a press release Q & A issued by the team on Tuesday to try and defuse the controversy surrounding the team, team principal Christian Horner cast further light on the events building up to the incident.
Having had two days to analyse the crash and the circumstances surrounding it, Horner said that all factions of the team – including Red Bull’s motorsport advisor Helmut Marko – now believed both drivers should share the blame for what happened.
This stance is in contrast to comments made by Marko immediately after the race, where he wholly blamed Webber. That statement prompted furore from fans and the media, especially because it was Vettel who had turned right into Webber’s car as he tried to overtake him.
“Ultimately we win as a team and we lose as a team and on Sunday we lost as a team, as a result of our two drivers having an incident,” said Horner. “Having looked at all the information it’s clear that it was a racing accident that shouldn’t have happened between two team mates.
“After looking at all the facts that weren’t available immediately after the race, Dr. Marko also fully shares this view.”
Horner revealed that two laps prior to the incident, Webber had turned his engine down to try and conserve fuel – which cost him 0.18 seconds per lap.
“On lap 38 and 39, Sebastian’s pace picked up and he closed right up to the back of Mark while under considerable pressure from Hamilton behind,” explained Horner. “After a very strong run through Turn 9, Sebastian got a run and strong tow and moved to the left to pass Mark.
“Mark held the inside line and adopted a defensive position, which he is entitled to do. When Sebastian was three quarters of the way past, he moved to the right.
“As Sebastian moved to the right, Mark held his position and the ensuing result was contact that resulted in Sebastian retiring, Mark damaging the front-end of his car and the team losing a one two finish. Ultimately both drivers should have given each other more room.”
Horner said that talks planned with the drivers would clear up several issues relating to the race – including Vettel’s actions when he got out of the car where his gestures indicated he thought Webber had been ‘mad’ for causing the crash.
“The adrenaline was flowing and obviously there’s a great deal of frustration when you’ve just crashed out of a race,” said Horner. “It will be discussed and I am certain that the air will be cleared before Canada.”
He added: “We’re a very strong team and we will sit down and discuss this openly with the drivers in order to learn from what has happened and avoid a situation like this arising again. One of the strengths of Red Bull Racing is the team spirit here, which has contributed to the performance that we have achieved so far this season. The drivers are both intelligent individuals and this issue will be resolved prior to the Canadian Grand Prix.”
Although the fallout from Red Bull’s handling of the events has heightened suspicions among fans that Vettel is the team’s preferred driver, Horner remained adamant that both drivers would continue as equals.
“Both drivers, as has always been the case, will continue to be given equal treatment,” he said. “The Turkish Grand Prix has been a costly lesson for both drivers and we are confident that this situation won’t happen again.”
When asked for Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz’s thoughts on the matter, he said: “Dietrich has spoken with both drivers following the incident. He has always supported both drivers equally and summed it up by saying, ‘S*** happens…’ we shouldn’t talk about the past, but concentrate on the future. The fact is that we not only have the fastest car, but also two of the best and fastest drivers”.
Such has been the level of criticism aimed at the team that Horner has also written an open letter to fans on Red Bull Racing’s website forum explaining the outfit’s situations.
“We now have to re-group,” he said. “We are a strong team and we’ll sit down and discuss what we can learn from this incident. We have immense team spirit here at Red Bull Racing, both Sebastian and Mark are intelligent individuals and we will have the situation resolved before we go to Montreal.
“And finally as I have always pledged, both drivers, will continue to be given equal treatment. The Turkish Grand Prix has been a costly lesson for both drivers and we are confident that this situation won’t happen again.
“We still have a long way to go this year until Abu Dhabi and whichever Red Bull Racing driver you’re behind in the fight for the world championship, I hope we – and they – can count on your support.”
Source: Autosport.com
Read the press report here: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/84086
In addition, F1 Fanatic has posted an article on this incident and why Mark Webber should have let Sebastian Vettel through. See the link here:
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2010/06/01/mark-should-have-let-vettel-past-marko/
More details on the crash between Vettel and Webber. Autosport.com has the latest and can be read in full below:
Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner has revealed that Mark Webber asked for Sebastian Vettel to ‘back off’ from him the lap before their collision in the Turkish Grand Prix.
Vettel was attempting to pass Webber for the lead approaching the final corners on lap 41 of the race when contact between them left Vettel with race-ending damage and dropped Webber from first to third – handing McLaren a one-two.
Although Webber had led the race from the outset, Vettel closed on him just prior to the crash and, in an exclusive interview with AUTOSPORT, Horner said Webber had radioed the team asking if Vettel could ease off – a request Red Bull was unwilling to allow with the McLarens of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button close behind.
“It was quite clear that with the speed advantage the McLarens had on the straight, it was impossible to fall back into them,” Horner told AUTOSPORT.
“Mark had requested the lap before to ask Sebastian to back off a bit. There was no way you could do that because of the McLarens being right there.”
Horner acknowledged that Vettel had the faster pace at the time of the incident.
“It looked like Mark started to struggle with the rear tyres a bit more – that’s what it looked like on the pit wall,” said Horner. “And Sebastian, between laps 38 and 39, really closed up rapidly to the back of Mark, obviously got a run on him on lap 40 and they both found themselves in a situation they didn’t want to be in.”
He remains confident that the crash has not done irrevocable damage to the intra-team relationship.
“We’re fortunate that both our guys are mature, balanced individuals,” Horner said. “Obviously emotions were running high on Sunday, but they’re both professionals.
“They are probably not going to be down the pub for a drink together, but they will continue to work professionally in the manner that they have done in the forthcoming races. They work for the team at the end of the day and they know what the rules are.”
Video of the incident courtesy of BBC F1 – http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8713653.stm
“They are probably not going to be down the pub for a drink together, but they will continue to work professionally in the manner that they have done in the forthcoming races. They work for the team at the end of the day and they know what the rules are.”
HA! Your not kidding Christian!
OK so even up until THAT moment, it was a fantastic race! With the two cars from Red Bull and Mclaren really close and a threatened overtake from all three drivers behind the great Webber. So often we see the lead car and maybe second place ( espech Red Bull atm ) take off. But wow it was so close, I knew something or someone would go off on one.
And then the possibility of rain as well! AND turn 8 id always so cool to watch the top teams take at near full throttle, or in RB’s case FULL throttle. BUt man, it must be such a killer on the neck for the drivers.
Well, lets do it, lets get onto THAT overtake.
Now off the bat, it sooo was Vettel’s. Sorry but it just was. Yes Webber pushed him very close, but hey, you know what Vettel? Deal with it! it’s something called RACING and not bending over and letting you drive it in you twat. You DID turn into Webber and your head DID expand to a great size thinking you should have it easy. All you had to do was just drive straight and true, without the silly hardboy shit eating grin maneuvers, and you’d take first. God know you need it after the car has died too many times.
Now, Mark is a stubborn sod, and asking RB for Seb to back off and probably told they wouldn’, and having been asked to turn his engine down and THEN to find Seb was on his tail, maybe had the Aussie stewing a bit! So would he hell give up 1st place easy. So yes a tiny, bit of blame can be leveled at him. Just like Seb also, when overtaking your teammate, and especially at this early stage, it’s your job to not take each other out! As i heard mentioned in the show, it’s a individual sport ran by teams. Your employed by the team, therefore, you answer to them, and drive their car for THEM.
Behind closed doors, it’s a whole other story if its against another team. As long as you don’t come off worse, I can tell you for sure that the team don’t give a crap that their driver took out another. It really is that much of a dog eat dog world.
I also firmly believe RB do favor Vettel. It’s only been recently that Mark has done so well, so while at the end of the day the team don’t give a crap who wins, the driver that wins the most will win favor. Too many things/rumours have come to light to suggest otherwise. Some of which came to light during the always excellent “Red Button Forum” after the race……though what happened to the venue BBC? I didn’t hear where they were as I missed the start, but it looked like a bloody canteen!
Oh and as Martin Whitmarsh commented, all the hugging and pats on backs when Seb was in the pitlane after? WTF???!!!! Jesus I’ve never seen such a load of BS. Again, if this was a championship decider, then yeah OK I’m fine with that, but christ on bike, the bloke damn near destroyed a perfect 1-2!
Just one more thing RB, stop with the ‘bodies’ standing around the back of the car when it’s on the grid before the start of the race. it was funny to start with, but now it’s boring, and is making you look like twats so just stop it please.
one things for sure, Webber will considering another seat for next year or whenever his contract is up.
So we get onto that other overtake. Which was awesome! Now forget any conspiracies here. I do not believe Lewis was told to slow for fuel and Jenson not. Lewis cooks his tires and Jenson does the complete opposite, so I just think Jenson got right up Lewis arse fair and square. But holy crap was Lewis not happy with Jenson “doing a Vettel”. But it was really cool to watch and show how much more respect the two drivers have for each other. Clearly more than the RB drivers that’s for sure. In fact I’m really surprised at how well Jenson has settled into the Mclaren team. But both drivers are very laid back, like a laugh, and respect everyone at the team. Both also don’t hold a grudge, which I think make for a great relaxed team that can welcome most people ( Alonso aside of course ).
So this will mean out of the two teams, the Mclaren drivers, by a million miles, better team mates the RB’s. Not matter what Horner has said to his two drivers, that incident will not be buried and forgotten for a long time to come
“They work for the team at the end of the day and they know what the rules are.” Bollocks do they! Er helloooo, this never would have happened if they did!
So yeah Lewis’ “celebration” was erm, well shit tbo! But I think he knew he was gifted 1st and I’m not sure how much the Turkey crowed like him anyways, so perhaps it was best not to go ape over it. But then it was his first win of the season.
Well Canada next which i love, so bring it on!
Sorry the “They work for the team at the end of the day and they know what the rules are.” Bollocks do they! Er helloooo, this never would have happened if they did! meant to go further up the page at the end of the Red Bull rant