Mark Webber decides to clear the air
It has been the talk of Formula One all week, but Mark Webber has cleared the air with Red Bull following last weekend’s events at the British Grand Prix.
At Silverstone, there were suggestions of favouritism shown within the team when Sebastian Vettel was handed Webber’s newly-designed front wing for qualifying after Vettel broke his in practice. Webber’s body language gave the impression he was frustrated with the situation after qualifying second to Vettel on Saturday as well.
As Webber crossed the line after taking the race victory on Sunday, he said on his team radio “Not bad for a No.2 driver,” and said he wouldn’t have signed a new deal at Red Bull if he thought he would be the second driver.
Now, on a statement from his website, Webber has revealed “emotions ran high.”
He went on to say: “Of course things get said in the heat of the moment which, with hindsight goggles on, probably shouldn’t have been said. Formula One is a highly charged and fiercely competitive arena where emotions and adrenalin do run high from time to time like in many sports and my comment on the radio after the race was an example of Australian sarcasm – either at its best or worst depending on how you choose to take it.”
A lot has been made of the relationship between Vettel and Webber. Both collided at the Turkish Grand Prix, and signs of bitterness have developed between the two.
However, Webber, has respect for Vettel and insists there is no hatred between the two. “I know I have a very good driver as a teammate and I wouldn’t want it any other way. We share information freely in team meetings and contribute to the development and improvement of our cars. Seb and I are not enemies, we’re just two drivers that are pushing hard and want to do the best for ourselves and the team, it’s as simple as that,” he said.
Webber has now switched his attentions to the next grand prix. “The British Grand Prix was a wonderful result for myself and the team. However time moves fast and looking in the mirror for too long doesn’t prepare us for Germany. We’ve moved on.”
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