Formula One News: Chris Horner tries to pacify matters at Red Bull Racing
In the wake of the Silverstone Grand Prix 2010, the focus has once again swayed onto the Red Bull Racing team. With the kind of car that they brought to the tracks for this season, one would have expected that their race victory would become the highlight for 2010. However, more action seems to be coming from their egos rather than their engines.
As the Formula 1 season began this year, fans were sceptical after the first round as to whether the new regulations would make the sport a drag. This year saw the start of the re-fuelling ban during the race. While on paper, this seemed like a very interesting twist in the Formula 1 saga, but in practice, it was rather bland. With this in place, the drivers have started to opt for a single pit stop during the entire race just to conform to the tyre change regulation. One would expect that the season would be heading downhill from there but as the season has unfolded, it seems that the drama just continues to grow. While the entire season seems to be going in one direction, the Red Bull Racing team seems to have a mini series of dramas going on amongst themselves.
In the latest episode of the Red Bull drama, it wasn’t just one of the drivers that came under the gun. Contrary to that perception, the decisions of the entire team have started to come into question. In the third practice session of the race, it was Sebastian Vettel who claimed top honours but managed to damage his front wing in the process. Since this was a new spec wing in limited supply, it was decided that Vettel would get the new wing from his teammate’s car.
In a sport where the pace of development is so rapid that drivers and teams ride on any advantage that they hold on to, it seems that Mark Webber got the short end of the stick there. But as the race unfolded, it seemed that karma was on his side. During qualifying, it was Vettel who had the advantage over Webber as the two lined up to the grid. But after the first lap, it was Webber who was in the lead and Vettel was twenty-fourth after going through a puncture after being forced wide by his teammate in the first corner. Webber dominated from the front of the field to take the race but emotions could not be kept under control. Even over the race radio after he crossed the chequered flag, it seemed that he was perturbed by the events that had unfolded. Webber claimed that it wasn’t a bad drive considering he was the number 2 driver in the team.
Red Bull’s team principal Chris Horner has since been trying to downplay the entire incident and has said that he will be in conversation with Webber to try and smooth things out. The news from the team is that the decision was made on the front wing preference, based on the standing of the two drivers in the championship standings as well as their pace in the practice sessions. But with only a marginal lead that Sebastian Vettel had on Webber, it seemed rather unfair that one driver is being compensated for his mistake at the expense of the front wing of another. Webber has since then made statements that clearly show his unhappiness over the decision. Ego’s have gone sky high with Webber claiming that he would not have signed a contract extension for the next season with a team that would treat him as their second driver. He was also put under the knife when the two teammates collided at Turkey a few races prior to this one.
Chris Horner has been the head of Red Bull Racing since 2005. When he took the reins of the team, he was only 32 and the youngest team principal on the paddock. Currently, he finds his team at the front of the grid and equipped with the best car. However, Horner is going to need all his experience in the world to stop the team from self destructing and throwing away their best chance at winning the Drivers and Constructors title.
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