In the aftermath of the disapointing collision betweeen its 2 cars during the Turkish Grand Prix, the team has revealed that Mark Webber was running his engine in a fuel-saving mode.Webber was leading his team-mate on lap 41 but turned down his engine performance to ensure his car made the end of the race, while Vettel remained at maximum revs having saved fuel earlier on. This allowed Vettel to slipstream and pull alongside Webber heading down the back straight and into the favoured overtaking point at turn 12.
In that way he gave Vettel minimal room as he came alongside and the German reacted by edging back across the track until the pair made contact. Vettel was out of the race on the spot while Webber lost the lead to the pursuing McLarens before making a pit stop for a new front wing.
Team boss Christian Horner said that Webber being in fuel-save mode explained the incident but did not excuse either driver for the accident.
"We now have all the facts. Mark had changed down into a fuel saving mode that cost him a little bit of performance on the straights, which explains how Sebastian got a very clear run on him. The large mistake remains that not enough room was given, but the explanation is there on how Sebastian had managed to get into the tow. He had managed to save an extra kilo 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."
Horner does not think either driver can be blamed entirely for the accident and reiterated his disappointment that they did not allow each other more 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."
He furthermore denied that Red Bull had favoured Vettel over Webber or vice-a-versa.
"Both our drivers are treated absolutely equally," Horner 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 [Vettel] 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 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."
Horner said that any hard feelings between the pair would be dealt with before the next grand prix in 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."
On his side, Mark Webber is adamant that he was not at fault when he made contact with Sebastian Vettel in Turkey and he insists that Vettel moved into him while he was maintaining course in a straight line, a view that was shared by most impartial observers.
"Seb had big top speed advantage. He went down the inside and we went side-by-side and then it looked like he turned pretty quick right and we made contact. It happened very fast. It is definitely a shame for the team. Not an ideal day, but the McLarens were solid today.
It was a good race between all four of us up until then and obviously neither of us wanted to make contact with each other, but it can happen sometimes. Unfortunately when we are both at the front, it is never ideal but it happened.
It wasn’t my plan to get him on the inside but he got there and I thought 'OK, I would just stay in the middle, as straight as I can, to make his line as tight as possible into the next corner, obviously.' And once we got to the braking point, he was obviously in a very strong position, but before we got there he came across to the right and I couldn’t react fast enough, because I wasn’t at all expecting that at that point, and that’s why it happened so fast and there was contact.
Of course in Seb’s car, it obviously feels very bad for him that I’ve turned left into him, but I’m pretty confident that there was some drift from his way and then it was a ... disaster.
There was a long way to go in the race, so it wasn’t a guaranteed victory. I have still got a few points. But it was an interesting few meters on the track between the both of us, and in the end it was not the result either of us would have wanted."
Webber said that it would be wrong for the drivers not to be allowed to compete each other.
"I don’t think that would be great. Obviously for everyone, you guys, people watching, it sounds like the McLarens had a good scrap. When, week-in, week-out, you’ve got guys that are pretty even and there are different parts of the race where people are stronger and weaker, yeah, you can say ‘just hold formation to the end.'
That would have probably been something which, in hindsight, with 20-20 vision, we would have both been up there, obviously, but in the end it didn’t turn out. If they wanted to swap the positions or there was a fight continuing and the way it turned out wasn’t great."
On the other side, Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko has made it clear that he blames Mark Webber for the Istanbul clash, claiming that Sebastian Vettel was under threat from behind from Lewis Hamilton, and thus needed to get past Webber.
"Vettel was under enormous pressure from Hamilton, he had to do something, otherwise Hamilton would overtake him,” said Marko. “He was already ahead, he was at least two meters ahead, Sebastian, and there was a corner to the left side coming.
So he had to go for the line, he can’t brake on the dirt, because if he would do that, for sure he knows what happens. Unnecessary, the whole situation. We’ll talk with everybody and clearly make it not happen again."
Marko denied that there was a German speaking/English speaking split in the camp.
"That’s not true. We are handling both drivers in the team the same way. But again, Vettel was under such a pressure, and if such a situation comes up, you have to look after the team. We still could have been one-two.
We were not in a situation where we were racing each other, we were under enormous pressure from the McLarens. The McLarens here were much faster on the straights, so we had to gain our advantage in the corners.
Sebastian had to attack, otherwise he would have been overtaken by Hamilton. It would have been completely different if the McLarens would have been 10 seconds behind, but that wasn’t the case, you know. Obviously there was not the right communication going on."
