Mark Webber says he will speak with teammate Sebastian Vettel soon regarding the crash that cost the team a potential 1,2 victory in Sunday’s Turkish Grand Prix. The duo clashed on lap 41 and the incident has caused a storm of controversy both within the team and around the world. Posting his exclusive column for Australian Daily Telegraph, Webber said the two drivers will probably disagree but they need to work it out.
It is imperative that the drivers, like the team, calm down and make amends prior to Canada. Both drivers are aggressive and Webber is a fierce defender. Canada is a place that will most likely see their biggest competition yet from the McLaren’s and their F-Duct’s. Having both drivers on the same sheet of music is something that will need to be addressed and I am sure they can get it done.
These incidents happen in F1 and it’s not the first time the two of them have come together as Japan 2007 comes to mind. Like that incident, this too will pass and the most pressing issue is staying ahead of the McLaren’s development pace for the remainder of the year. Webber said:
RED Bull Racing was on track for a one-two finish. But in the space of a few seconds, we went from that lofty place to having my teammate Sebastian Vettel’s car parked by the side of the road and me having to pit for a new front wing, which dropped me to a distant third in the Turkish Grand Prix.
There were still 17 laps of the race remaining – and the McLarens were quick – but I’m confident that I would have made it three straight Formula One victories if this incident hadn’t occurred.
Vettel had a bit of a top-speed advantage and I could see him coming down my inside as we approached Turn 12 at Istanbul Park. We were fighting for the lead, so I stayed tight to ensure he’d be on the dirty side of the track as we approached the braking area. I was holding my line and he came across on me.
We made contact; it was only a light touch, but when you’re travelling at 300km/h that’s all you need for a situation to end in tears.
Seb and I will sit down and have a chat about it because we need to avoid costly slip-ups like this in the future. We’ll probably have a difference of opinion about what happened on Sunday [night] until we go to our graves, but we’re both adults and we need to find a way of racing together that doesn’t compromise the team.
If we’d been fighting for 18th and 19th positions when this accident occurred, no one would have cared; as it was, we were fighting for the lead and it’s all anyone wants to know about.
Up until lap 41, it had been a great race for me. I made a good start from pole position to lead into Turn 1 and after some jostling for position behind me, Lewis Hamilton took up the chase. We settled into a good rhythm and although Lewis was a bit quicker, I had track position.
He wasn’t going to find a way past because I was quick enough through the corners to stop him getting a run along the straights. We pitted together on lap 15 and I came out ahead, and I was pleased when I saw that Seb had jumped ahead of Lewis as well because I thought he could act as a buffer.
The McLarens were very fast thanks to their F-ducts, which is a system that aids straightline speed by stalling airflow over the rear wing.
I was on the prime tyre – the hard compound – after my pitstop and I wasn’t quite as happy as I’d been on the option at the start of the race, but the top four cars – myself, Seb, Lewis and Jenson Button – were all doing comparable lap times.
It was very intense, but good fun because we were all driving flat-out.
Then came the Seb incident. The focus now moves to Montreal, which is back on the calendar after a year’s sabbatical. I’m sure the car will be competitive and I can’t wait to get back on track
