Monday, July 11, 2011

GreenBkk.com Formula 1 | Webber 'ignored' Red Bull team orders

Webber 'ignored' Red Bull team orders

July 11, 2011 -- Updated 1209 GMT (2009 HKT)


Sebastian Vettel (left) is 80 points ahead of his Red Bull teammate Mark Webber (right) in the drivers' standings.

Mark Webber said he ignored team orders not to attack Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel in the closing stages of Sunday's British Grand Prix.

Webber, 34, was sat in third position and closing in on world championship leader Vettel in second when he was told over the team radio to "maintain the gap" between himself and his German colleague.

The result meant Vettel, 24, extended his lead at the top of the drivers' standings to 80 points, despite Ferrari's Fernando Alonso taking the checkered flag to claim the Italian marque's first grand prix victory since October 2010.

But Webber, who is second in the standings, told a post-race press conference he paid no attention to the messages from the team garage.

Passing judgment: Hamilton must stay aggressive

"I am not fine with it. No. That's the answer to that," the Australian said when asked if he understood the team's decision.

"If Fernando retires on the last lap we are battling for the victory so I was fine until the end. Of course I ignored the team as I want to try and get another place. Seb was doing his best and I was doing my best.

"I don't want to crash with anyone, but that was it. I tried to do my best with the amount of conversation I had. One-way conversation obviously as I wasn't talking too much back.

"There was a lot of traffic coming to me, but I was still trying to do my best to pass the guy in front."

Alonso wins for Ferrari at Silverstone

Webber took maximum points in last year's race at Silverstone and, in the wake of his triumph, suggested he was frustrated with a perceived number two driver status at the British-based Red Bull team.

When asked if he still felt reigning world champion Vettel received preferential treatment in 2011, Webber responded: "Not really. I just want to race to the end, so with four or five laps to the end, they started to chat to me about holding my position.

"Of course, they want the points, but I also need to try and get some more points as well."

Standings after the British Grand Prix

Vettel, who became the sport's youngest-ever champion when he clinched the 2010 crown, said he did not feel Webber had gifted him his second-place finish.

"I think we were racing," said Vettel. "It was not a scheduled 'I move right, you move left, I move left, you move right, I brake here, you brake there.'

"As Mark said, he stayed flat out and tried to race me, as hard as he could, didn't find his way past. To me, at this stage, it's quite amusing."

Rivalries will resume when the Formula One circus moves to the Nurburgring on July 24 for the German Grand Prix.

Credit: CNN (www.cnn.com)

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