Webber's unsporting behaviour outshines win at the British Grand Prix
Despite winning at Silverstone this weekend, Red Bull’s Mark Webber wasn’t satisfied. The 33-year-old Australian slammed Red Bull for taking his front wing off and giving it to team mate Sebastian Vettel.
After Red Bull made the switch on Saturday following practice rounds, Webber was determined to beat his RBR Renault team mate and succeeded in doing so. He finished 52 laps in 1:24:38.200, and Vettel came in seventh. Instead of graciously accepting his win and moving on from the controversy Webber was furious over Red Bull’s decision to take away the upgraded wing, and mouthed off to the TV cameras:
“I would never have signed a contract for next year if I believed that was the way going forward,” he complained.
Vettel, RBR’s number one, had his own front right wing damaged during a practice failure. The team took the design off Webber’s car because Vettel was ahead in the competition and had a quicker practice time.
Webber wasn’t satisfied by their justification, and was spiteful while talking to team captain Christian Horner after the race. He told Horner the win was “not bad for a number two driver”, this over the radio while on the slow down lap.
It sounds like Webber is upset that a younger racer – Vettel is 10 years his junior – is the favoured driver and an internationally recognized and praised talent of his generation. Publicly complaining about his team doesn’t help Webber maintain sponsorship or a healthy working relationship with his employers and team mates.
To his benefit, Webber has had a very good season. He has two wins so far, one in Spain followed immediately after by one in Monaco. His driving talents cannot be denied, and are a major factor in his successful Formula One year. But the truth of the matter is Webber needs Red Bull, not the other way around. The 2010 Red Bull team is doing very well, and they can find another driver who would be able to achieve the same results Webber is producing. Webber is in a good car and needs to stay with it if he wants to continue being successful.
Vettel is a rising race car star with a lot of hype and publicity. Red Bull needs to put wins and championships within his reach or they run the risk of losing him to another team. Webber should know better than to lose his composure in front of the cameras. It’s one thing to be upset about a decision; it’s another to maliciously blast your team to the media.
Webber says he wants to talk with RBR about the front wing controversy but Horner is sure Webber won’t leave the team.
“Mark has a contract with us for the future...We’ve provided him with a car that has enabled him to run at the front, win Grand Prix and challenge for the world Championship. I doubt very much he is going to walk away from that.”
Horner insists Webber is a “team player” even though rumours of disharmonies between Webber and Vettel had been escalating after their collision in Turkey this May. His decision to lash out through the media was hot tempered, and one he will regret once things settle down and the situation can be calmly discussed:
“He knows the lengths the team has gone to, to support him and I have no doubt when he has a chance to reflect on this, yes, lessons can be learned but looking objectively at it as a sportsman that sometimes difficult decisions have to be made.”
Horner has no regrets over his decision, and says he would make it again if the situation warranted him to.
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