David Coulthard says Mark Webber not entirely wise to air his grievances so publically
In light of the recent controversy over allegations of impartiality in the Red Bull paddock at the British Grand Prix 2010, Red Bull advisor and former Formula One driver David Coulthard has remarked that the 2010 Silverstone champion Mark Webber could have done better by staying shut in front of the media.
The Formula One pundit stated that there were alternate strategies that could be adopted to manage a racing team – the bosses could either give one driver a clear preference over the other, or instead they could opt for an equal treatment for both. Coulthard elaborated that although the former strategy was the most viable technique for winning the drivers’ championship, it was ethically corrupt. And whereas the latter method was more just, it was nevertheless extremely unpredictable and hard to implement. The former Williams and McLaren catalyst said he personally favoured the latter approach, having once giving up an opportunity to drive for Ferrari since he did not wish being contracted as the number two to Michael Schumacher. Coulthard stressed that he held Mark Webber with a tremendous amount of esteem and realised that the Australian driver had his own logic for reacting like he did after the British Grand Prix win, when Webber remarked that his performance was “Not bad for a number two driver.”
Coulthard said it was obvious that Mark had been saddened when the Red Bull management had decided to give his teammate, Sebastian Vettel, his wing shortly before the qualifying run, and the Australian snatched the circumstance to win public sympathy by letting the press know exactly how he felt about the perceived mistreatment.
Reminiscing the time he had found himself in a similar situation many years ago when he was driving for McLaren, Coulthard stated that a part of him felt this straight-forward reaction was what he should have adopted back then instead of enduring everything quietly. Coulthard professed to having acquiesced to his McLaren bosses orders when he was told to give way to his then team mate Mika Hakkinen on more than one occasion. Coulthard mused that he would never figure out if his submission had denied him of a World Championship title. Debatably, he elaborated that Hakkinen had been the more talented racer in any case, but it was possible that those episodes could have been handled in a better manner.
The veteran racer argued that the Australian’s public criticism of the team management procedures could potentially cause a permanent damage to his ties with his employers. Yet, if Mark’s tactics bear fruit, he might be able to strengthen his standing, win compassion of the wider Formula One community and go down in history as a determined star that battled the challenges to triumph. Coulthard believed Webber is suspicious of his squad’s Austrian owners who would favour Vettel to take the championship, and obviously reckons he can bag greater advantage by making his fears known to the public and attempting to shame the squad each time he feels wronged.
As an insider at the Red Bull headquarters, Coulthard believed that the side’s manager, Christian Horner was very well equipped to dispel any ill-feeling generated by the incident. Horner has been reported to have begun the conciliating process immediately by hosting a celebration party following the race, where it was hoped both Webber and Sebastian Vettel would put aside any ill-feeling generated after the “Wing-gate” affair. According to some reports, Vettel was quoted of implying that his Australian team mate should have shown greater respect for his team. The German also allegedly expressed his disapproval for Webber’s outspoken response to Horner’s decision, arguing that the Australian should have reserved his comments for team insiders rather than airing them in front of the world wide press.
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