What Next For Red Bull's Mark Webber?

Mark Webber, Red Bull Racing. (C)

    The Malaysian Formula One Grand Prix has been run and won in controversial circumstances with Sebastian Vettel disobeying team orders by passing team mate Mark Webber with just over 10 laps to go, leading home a Red Bull Racing 1-2. After passing the chequered flag, team boss Christian Horner commended Vettel on the win, then promptly suggested that he must of really wanted the win, and that he has some explaining to do. The situation was chillingly reminiscent of Gilles Villeneuve and Didier Pironi for Ferrari at Imola in 1982, with Vettel playing the part of Pironi, and Webber the part of Villeneuve. In that case Gilles vowed never to speak to Pironi again, but sadly Gilles was killed just two weeks later during qualifying at Zolder, trying to beat Pironi who had just pipped him by a tenth of a second. Sebastian Vettel has since admitted his mistake, apologised to the entire team, and promised it will never happen again. Time will tell.
    Opinion on the matter has been wide ranging and divided. Some have suggested that in order to win the championship, you need to be ruthless, hungry and take no prisoners, as you are racing 21 other drivers who all want the same thing. Everyone for themselves with 100% focus purely on yourself and the task at hand. Plus with Ferrari's Fernando Alonso out on lap 2, the extra points could prove invaluable in the long run. Therefore, Vettel's actions were justified. Others feel disciplinary action should be undertaken, reiterating  who Vettel's employers are. Some people, including former McLaren driver and 5 time GP winner John Watson, have gone one step further by calling for a one race ban for Vettel.
    But are there a couple of points people may have missed? After the second round of pitstops, Webber emerged on the option tyre still in the lead with Vettel close behind, prompting Vettel to complain over the radio for a couple of laps that Webber was slow and to get him out of the way. Whether it was a case of Webber taking a couple of laps to bring the tyres up to temperature or those messages getting back to him, he then banged in a couple of fastest laps. So the argument that Webber was holding up Vettel is moot. The call to hold station obviously went out quite early, as Red Bull already had control of the race.
    The next point is that winter testing is just that; in Winter. Plus the Australian GP was run in unseasonal cold conditions. Therefore, despite Malaysia not exhibiting its usual oppressive heat and humidity, it was still the hottest conditions the new 2013 F1 cars and Pirelli tyres had run in. Logically, they had to be nursed home. The teams through car to pit telemetry have much more access to data pertaining to car condition, various temperatures and the like than the driver. The team was especially worried about tyre degradation. An extra pitstop because their drivers were pushing would've compromised Red Bull's command of the race, thus squandering valuable points.
    The final point is that Formula One is a team sport. No driver is bigger than the team. These teams employ anything from 350 to 700 people, all striving to unlock the necessary tenths to propel them to championship glory. Whilst the constructor's championship means little to the average punter, it is of the utmost importance to the F1 teams. Where they finish in the pecking order down to tenth place determines how much of the Formula One Management's TV revenue they are awarded. Sure the teams generate income through sponsorship and personal backing that drivers may bring, but the constructor's championship is their lifeblood, as evidenced by Marussia's disappointment in losing 10th place to Caterham in the closing stages of 2012's season ending Brazilian GP. Besides, do you think every member of an F1 team feels any less joy when winning the constructors than a driver does in winning the driver's championship? You bet they don't!
    So where does this leave Mark Webber? Whilst Red Bull Racing state that they give their drivers equal treatment, the perception from the outside to a lot of people is that there is a clear favoured driver, and it's not Webber. Has his position in the team become untenable? Or will Mark Webber's trademark determination come to the fore? He does after all perform at his best when he feels he's been backed into a corner. More to the point, can Vettel and Webber ever really trust each other anymore as team mates? Let formulafrontrow.com know what you think. Send us an email at: greenflag@formulafrontrow.com or simply click on comment.
    On a lighter note, it was pretty funny to see Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton pull in to his old team's pitbox, only to be hastily waved on by the McLaren mechanics. Now his dog Roscoe has a paddock pass, we wonder if he could act as a pointer from the Mercedes prat perch to Lewis' pitbox so it doesn't happen again?
    Roll on China. Cheers.....

---