Red Bull crash at Turkish Grand Prix - Is it Webber’s fault?
Besides being team mates, both men from the Red Bull team were at competition with each other. Sebastian Vettel was thinking on the wrong lines during the Turkish Grand prix that Mark Webber would just move aside and let him go. After all, the drivers’ championship is always up for grabs.
All eyes were set on the Red Bulls team as the final day of the Turkish Grand Prix began. The Red Bulls knew the expectations had soared to newer levels from their fans and management alone. In order to prove their worth, both the drivers had to give in their best performances of the season. After being declared as the winners of the last Grand Prix at the famous Circuit De Monaco, the Red Bull team had made this season into their own. The expectations were justified as the Red Bull team had performed exceptionally during the current season. But as they say, what does up must come down. Events unfolded at the Istanbul track on this Sunday that no one had expected. Despite owing the best cars and professional drivers who knew how to get the best out of them, their luck ran out of gas.
Nobody could have been able to take the victory away from Red Bull if only they had not presented it all by themselves. The McLaren’s were putting in their best right from the beginning but it was the boys from the Red Bulls team that started the show with a bang. Probably both the driver had the perfect quantity of Red Bull to keep them energized during a major portion of the track. The high amounts of adrenaline and energy only proved to be a mistake for the team in the end. During the fortieth lap of the Turkish Grand Prix, the drivers crashed their cars into each other.
Till then Webber and Vettel kept holding the first and second positions respectively. It was only when the Red Bull drivers clashed into each other that the McLarens team was able to build their lead in the race. The crash resulted in an awful moment for the Red bull which only resulted in giving Lewis Hamilton the space to go for his first victory in ten races.
After the crash of the season, the competition was very simple and straightforward. Hamilton and partner Button did not find it difficult to win the race. Meanwhile, the Ferrari and the Mercedes team did not provide enough competition to the McLaren team who sailed across the finishing line.
From the perspective of the Red Bull tea m, they did not do anything wrong until the crash. Both drivers were providing competition to each other in order to win the title. Mark could not have let Vettel get past him with ease and this high level of competition between the drivers has made Red Bull into a competitive team that they are. It was basic racing diplomacy that Mark employed during the Turkish Grand Prix by pushing Vettel onto the dirt from a very tight turn-in angle that was possible.
However, motorsports adviser to Red Bull, Dr Helmut Marko and the owner, Dietrich Mateschitz lays the blame with Webber and Ciaran Pilbeam, his race engineer.
Marko said that Webber was slower and Hamilton had already put immense pressure on Vettel. He thinks that Mark was not told about the situation by his race engineer correctly. He added that Vettel had to cross as he was moving at a much faster speed.
Whereas, Christian Horner, the team principal, gave a more balanced statement, as he said that Mark gave a dirty line to him and Vettel did not wait for the right chance. He had already warned in the earlier races that the drivers should not be fighting with each other in that manner.
Disappointed with his team, he also said that the McLarens raced hard but also gave room to each other, and that saved the two McLarens from ending into the fence. He said that giving room to each other is taught to the teams religiously and it was disappointing to see the drivers forget this.
Webber, while talking to journalists after the race asked them to look at the mater a little deeper to get to know how Vettel got alongside him when he was asked to save fuel, while Vettel was attacking him with full force.
That means that the instructions were communicated correctly to the team for which Marko has laid the fault at Pilbeam’s end. Either Vettel should have been instructed when Mark was told to keep his engine down or Mark should have been guided to let Vettel get a run on him.
Nevertheless, the truth is that Marko’s comments still portray that Red Bull is blaming Webber for the crash. And somehow, the crash had actually favoured Webber as well. He still enjoys a lead of 15-points over Vettel and overall, he is still leading by five points. And who knows at the end of the year it could be the Turkish Grand Prix result that would make Webber the championship winner.
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